Tim Howard
Appearances
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Yeah. I hear you. All right, so some exciting stuff. I know you've been traveling a lot. You got more traveling coming up. I do. Tell our audience what's going on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And look, I try hard to him not to be the old guy, like the old grumpy. I really do. I really do. And I take in all the, I talked to tons of people during the week to try to get context and understand this. One thing, look, from Mauricio Pochettino's standpoint, this is where I have a problem with what some of these players did. So Mauricio Pochettino was forced into a decision.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
When your best player calls you and says, I don't want to come in this summer, what are you supposed to do? So your options are, you say, I don't care. I don't care how you're feeling. You're coming in. Now your best player is pissed off at you. Oh, by the way, what happens if your best player then gets hurt while he's there? Now he's blaming you and we're all blaming him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Or he has to do what he decided to do, which is, okay, I'm going to leave you off and risk our team not doing as well and risk not having you here. And he had to do that with multiple players. So multiple players ended up tying his hands. And it just makes it difficult for him. It makes it really difficult for him. What is he supposed to do, Tim? Well, yeah. Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
That was easily Confederations Cup in 09. Correct. That's the first thing that came to mind.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Coming for the knockout round.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Yep.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
It was actually, Tim, it was one of the things I wrote down. I was thinking through that. You could easily... Right? So let's say their season ended last weekend, right? What are we at? End of May?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
So you could have said you're not even coming in for the friendlies.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Well, first of all, start by not playing your last two club games. Yeah. So now you've had since mid-May. All the way through... Let's say first week of June, we're going to get you moving and running and doing a little bit on your own, but you're not even coming in with the group. And we'll see you on June 10th, four days ahead of the first game. You're not playing in the first two games, period.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
If by some reason we need you for the third game, which we shouldn't, We might suit a few of you up, put you on the bench and get you going. And then you're going to play in the knockout stages. Or even if you want to do that, you're not playing the whole time, but you're going to be here around the group with the team. So we can continue to build culture.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
You can see what I, what the expectations are, et cetera, et cetera. That's another compromise that could have been made. And look, we don't know the conversations that were had or not had. Right. But that could have been an easy, an easy one.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Or they said yes, or they said yes and just did the opposite. Just did whatever they wanted anyway. I mean, look, to your point, the whole process of hiring Pochettino All the emphasis was on getting the coach, getting the coach, getting the person you want, whatever. Was there enough consideration thought given to how the process was going to look over the next year and a half?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Probably not? I mean, look, we both know people in U.S. soccer, and given what we know, my answer would be probably not. Your answer would be definitely not. Not the most impressive. Definitely not.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I think the biggest takeaway before we move on here, because I do want to try to get to the positive. Is one, now Pochettino's making a bet, right? He's saying, fine, leaving all those guys off. I'm leaving other guys off intentionally so I can look at certain players. And we'll get to them in a second.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And I'm taking the risk that this could all go belly up and the Gold Cup could be a disaster and we're going to have more piles of pressure coming in the hopes that these players are rested, recovered, ready. But by the way, Tim, last thing for me here is… These guys are going to play 50 games next year. So what's going to happen at the end of next year?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And by the way, there is something to your body getting used to doing that. I went into every January camp for 15 years. Every single one. So we played till December 7th with the Galaxy. January 1st, I was in camp. So I had three weeks off. I had a week to go swim and chill and go on vacation. And then I was training again. But my body got used to it. My body got used to it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
So now if your body's used to taking the summer off, and now you've got to play next year in the biggest tournament of your life, how does your body react? I don't know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
We've been wanting to do a live show for a long time, Tim, so it's going to be awesome. It's downtown LA at BMO Stadium. I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of stick for it not being at Dignity Health, but that's okay. The venue worked out perfectly. As always, guys, follow us on social media, Unfiltered Soccer. Subscribe to the show on YouTube. Make sure you follow on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Whenever a door closes, another opens, right? So reminder from our friends at NHTSA, buckle your seatbelt to make it home safely. Don't risk it. Click it or ticket. Paid for by NHTSA. So to me, NHTSA is always reminding us to get strapped in for every time we get in our car and for every opportunity. And for a lot of these guys, this is now an opportunity.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And Mauricio Pochettino said that in his press conference, and I believe him. I think he said the guys who came into the last few camps are on the same level as some of these guys in Europe, and that's all he has to take. And I know you don't agree with that, but all he has to take is what he sees in camp and what they give him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
So guys like Luna, Brian White, Sebastian Berhalter now coming in, Quinn Sullivan, Alex Freeman, Luca De La Torre. Big opportunity for them to get strapped in and take advantage of this opportunity. It is. And I know you don't think they're good enough, or some of them are good enough. And I know you think you want to see your best players there. But this is what it is now.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I mean, that ship sailed, right? So that ship sailed. So for these guys, do they take advantage of it? And to be honest, Tim, I hope they do, man. I hope some of these guys get punished for it. I do. And I'm not in a nasty way or whatever, but it'd be good for them to have some competition now.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Leave us a review. It helps people find us. And as always, email at feedback at unfilteredsoccer.com. I have no doubt that we are going to have a lot of emails coming in after this episode as we discuss the Gold Cup roster and, most importantly, who's not there. So reminder, live show June 11th, 5.30 p.m. Go to unfilteredsoccer.com backslash live. To get tickets.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
It's not across the board. That's fine. Okay, that's fine. I will tell you, having coached, one of the things, probably the most important thing for a coach is trusting your players. 100%. You will take a guy who's a 6.5 out of 10, who you know is a 6.5 out of 10, versus a guy who could be a 9 but might be a 4. Every day. Every day of the week.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And so far, a guy like Diego Luna is showing he is going to bring it every time. And it's like you're dating a girl, and she doesn't really want to be with you, but she kind of does. Are you going to just keep chasing and chasing? And for Pochettino right now, he's like, look, you don't want to be here? Fine. This guy does. So I'm going to give him a chance.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
All right, leave us your comments and questions. We'll have a lot for the mailbag next week and for the live show. There'll be lots of good feedback, and we want to hear your opinions. Last thing before we take a break, Tim, you can comment on this if you want. I'm going to make a plea here publicly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
San Diego FC, over the weekend, there was some really nasty fights with Galaxy fans in the stadium. Outside the stadium, I saw some really bad images. One guy punched a girl in the face. It was really ugly. Really ugly. And I just want to say, first I'm going to say to LA Galaxy and LAFC fans don't care what I have to say, but this also happened with LAFC.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Galaxy fans please cut it out like we are way better than that way better than that and I don't you don't want this to end where something really bad happens before it stops so just just please go to the game cheer the game cheer your team and walk out
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
peacefully and leave people alone okay i'm gonna i'm gonna start there i know there are two sides to this story sure second half of this is san diego fc this is a city i live in now yeah and i love and what i see happening in the stadium is not san diego it's really not tim and it's it's starting to piss me off um san diego is a town full of people that come here to live here on purpose because they want to be here and it's a town that gets along and loves each other yeah
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S. soccer for the past five years.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I know there's hatred towards LA. There's the sort of inferiority complex, all that stuff. This is not the way to show it. So cut it out. Stop. You're ruining a really good thing in San Diego right now. You really are. And Galaxy fans, you're complicit in this, and we're better than that. So let's stop. And that's all I want to say.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
We're not opening it up to a lot of people, so I would go very fast if you want to be there. Yeah. All right, Tim, let's get right into it. You know, like when bad things happen in life, you go through all the emotions. You're angry, and then you're sad. Yeah. You're trying to find the silver lining and all. That's been my weekend as the Gold Cup roster got announced.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Yeah, and unfortunately what we're not talking about is that San Diego are second in the Western Conference standings, right? Because this stuff is taken. So Chucky Lozano, other leaders on the team, get out there and say it too. It's not okay. It's not acceptable. There's ways to be fanatical and passionate. This is not it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Agreed. All right, let's take a break. Thanks for sitting in a long segment. A lot going on there, and obviously we're passionate about it. When we come back, we'll be talking Premier League, other things going on in the soccer world, right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, as always, presented by our friends at Volkswagen. So stay right there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Yeah, it was fun to see you there, Tim. And then the scenes after were, look, we don't like Liverpool Soccer Club or Football Club as athletes. But that town is so special. And the rivalry there meant a lot to both of us. And it was really horrible to see. Hopefully, it seems like, knock on wood, everyone has escaped without too serious of injury, and let's hope that everyone gets back healthy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
It was great to see you there. It was great to see you on the sideline, all the interviews, and just the energy was pretty special. Even as an Everton fan, it was pretty cool to see.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
You know, I couldn't help but think when with Trent Alexander-Arnold now, they booed him a week ago or two weeks ago. And Jurgen Klopp, you talk about leadership, and we were just talking about this with San Diego FC and what we think Chucky Lozano should be doing and what they're doing. maybe their president should be doing or the owner should be doing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Jurgen Klopp comes out and says, this is not us. Stop booing him. And what happens this weekend? They applaud him, right? They don't boo him anymore. I mean, that is leadership and that's the power that he has over that fan base. And I just give him a lot of credit for that because Trent Alexander-Arnold, I think we can all agree deserves to be celebrated for what he gave to that club.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
It's complicated.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
All right. So USLNT on USMNT. All right. So we're going to go all over the place here, guys. I apologize, but I just, I wrote down a gazillion things and they are all over the map. Yeah. So let's just start with who is not in this squad.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
That's awesome. Again, it was fun to watch. And congrats, Liverpool, as much as we hate to say it. They deserved it. They were the best team. Yeah, they were. The only other competitive games were around Champions League spots. The relegation battle was over. Man, we could have predicted who was going to get in. City, Chelsea, Newcastle.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
We could not have predicted, I don't think, Tim, how the games went. Villa, Newcastle, and Forest all lost. Yeah. And so if you are Villa and Forrest now, you're kicking yourself because all you had to do was win a game. Just win a game. And for Villa, it was tough. Away to United. Forrest, home to Chelsea, also difficult. But I felt for Forrest because they've had a phenomenal season.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Omissions that we think are of note. Okay. I'm going to probably miss some, but number one by a gazillion miles is Christian Pulisic. And we're going to get into him in a second. No Tanner Testament, no Cameron Carter Vickers, no Joe Scali. Due to Club World Cup, no Wes McKinney. No, who am I missing here? Timothy Weah. And there's one, no, Gio Reyna. Also not there, Sargent. No, Yunus Musa.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
They really have. And if they had scrapped into Europa League… At the end, you'd say, okay, amazing year. But because they fell out of a Champions League spot, you just feel like, ugh. You just feel bad for them.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Just the last couple of things with the Premier League. So I just... Do we think Ange stays now? I mean, it's been a huge talking point after Tottenham win. Did you know, by the way, I didn't realize this until Andrew put it in our chat this morning. They lost 22 Premier League games this year? Tottenham? 22 Premier League games?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
That's the most ever without getting relegated.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I mean, I have the same feelings. It's crazy how sports work. In every sport, you watch it, and then all of a sudden, a team that should be good, and they barely sneak in the playoffs, and then they win it. And you're like, oh, yeah, he's got to stay. He's got to stay. I don't know. It's always like that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
All right, before we take another break, let's dig in real quick because Champions League final is this weekend. So two years ago, Tim, this is crazy to think about. Two years ago, PSG had Lionel Messi, Mbappe, Neymar, and they went out in the round of 16 in the Champions League.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And there is nobody, and I mean nobody, before Champions League started that would have said they were going to be in the final and be the favorite this year. There's no way. Inter has kind of backed in a little bit into this final. Not that they backed in by way of winning, but they lost the Scudetto to Napoli.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
They lost AC Milan in the semis of the Coppa Italia, squeaked past Barcelona in that awesome semifinal. two leg series. They're older and it's, it's a really fascinating, it's like this young, energetic, exciting PSG team versus like these wily vets. What do you think?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I think I got all of them, but maybe I missed some.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Okay, so let's not bury the lead. Let's start with Christian.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
You go first. Me? What are you bringing me into this for? You're not a good cop today. You're an honest cop.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I mean, just like against Barca, though, they were ruthless on the counter. Like, ruthless. That's what it's predicated on. And Barca's high line. That was fun to watch, actually. I hope the final's fun to watch again.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Tim, I think it was 2015. So do you remember after your career, you probably played in some of these charity games where they get a bunch of old players together?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
So I'm playing this game in Vegas, right? And it's like a lot of some pretty high-level players. And the other team's back line, and I don't even remember exactly. It was just two Italian center backs that you would know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
right like it wasn't like I don't think well Maldini was a left back but I don't think it was like Cannavaro but it was like two guys who were like oh actually you know I think Chiellini might have been in it okay it was two Italian center backs you knew and I was playing against them and this is a charity game everyone's old nobody can run whatever
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
These two guys, dude, the way they handled the back line and just moved and felt every situation, read every long ball, moving together, pulling guys offside.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And these guys hadn't played for a long time. And I was watching this going. I mean, Chiellini, obviously. It wasn't Chiellini because he was still playing. And I'm going, dude, this is like, they could do this in their sleep. They could do it in their sleep. And they're just so drilled in them from the time they're like six years old.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
So to your point, I mean, they will not be uncomfortable with PSG having all the ball. But again, they are nasty when they break, dude. And so the best scenario, in my opinion, interscore early, and it's just an all-out PSG trying to equalize for like 60, 70 minutes, just back and forth and just super fun. Yeah, so.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
We will be following along and we will obviously come back with our analysis and breakdown after. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Yeah, Tim, a team we did not get to during all the commotion the last few weeks who definitely chose chill, not only this season, but the past three seasons, Wrexham with their third consecutive promotion. So they went from League Two now to the championship next year. My question, my first real question is, can they do it again?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Can they now jump from the championship to the Premier League, which we know is the hardest jump?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
You had a long weekend, huh?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
The thing is, if you watch the show, you think it's some miracle, right? And it's not a miracle. It's an amazing story. But they also have spent at the top of every one of the leagues they've been in. Sure. Now, the question is, can they do it in the championship? My first thought was no. But I did see a report last week that they were willing. I don't know who the player was.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Sorry, no Jedi Robinson.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
They were willing to offer a player 50,000 pounds a week. Wow. To play in the championship. So the thing is, they clearly have the money to do it. Are they going to take the risk? Because now it's a big risk. It's not losing $6 million or pounds like they did last year. Now you could lose $30 or $40 and not get promoted. So it's going to be interesting to watch. But most of all, cheers to them.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
They've been phenomenal. They deserve it. And it's going to be really fun to watch going forward. So Rexum, you chose chill. I've got my cores on ice, Timmy. I could hear the ice. How about a cheers to Rexon? Cheers to Rexon. Cheers, guys. All right, Tim, let's take a break. When we come back, we will get into all of your questions.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
As always, lots of good questions in the AT&T Fan Connection right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Stay right there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And she is going to be insufferable today after the Liverpool celebration.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Yeah. Until you get a tat of Liverpool, I won't believe it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
That's awesome.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Who asked the question, Jordan, Steven, Steven. Great question. What I want to do. I've been, we've been wanting to do this for a long time is get someone on who can actually explain these things because I don't have, all I know now is that you can make internal transfers. Jovalich went from the Galaxy to Kansas City. Other players, Evander went from Portland to Columbus.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
You can make internal transfers now. I don't know if you spend $5 million on the transfer but only pay a guy $600,000, does he still count as a DP or not? I don't know the rules behind that. It might be that you're allowed to and he's not a DP, or it might be that that $5 million gets factored into it. So I don't know the exact rules. What I would say to Steven is,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
There are creative ways, lots of ways so that you can have, let's, instead of saying three or four players at 5 million each, you could sign 10 players at 500 grand each. Sure. Right. Instead or 600 grand each. And that would make your roster much better. So, um, and sorry, Evander went to FC Cincinnati, not Columbus. Um, it's all the same that Ohio it's all the same. Um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
So that's, you know, we will have someone on at some point to explain that because we get confused by it and we lived it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I mean, not for a long time in my opinion. You have to give him time. If they knew, I promise you they knew that this season was going to be a wash. They did. And so if they start next season and they're down near the bottom again and they're 10 games in or 12 games in or 15 games in, maybe you think about it. But he needs time. He needs his players and he needs time. It's as simple as that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Ralph Raniuk, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Robin Van Persu interim.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I mean Van Nistelrooy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
We don't know the truth behind any of it, Jordan. We don't know the context. And agents are constantly talking to and they're trying to make their their player looked good and all that. So I just, I don't even listen to that stuff. The reality is when you have a new coach coming into a new team, there are going to be a number of players who just don't fit for whatever reason. It could be soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
It could be, Their attitude, it could be the way you interact with them. It could be how they are in the locker room. It could be at the end of their contract. There's a million reasons, and you just got to get rid of them immediately. And it's not easy to get rid of them fast, but I'm sure he has a list. These five, seven guys got to be gone. These ones we want to extend.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Well, I mean, this group hasn't proven that there'll be one game where everyone's together, right? Due to injuries or someone not wanting to be there or whatever.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I was sitting with David Moyes when I was at Everton. And he said to me, he's like, there's about five or seven guys that just have to go. He had to get through the season with them. And he said, these other five guys, we want to give them contract extensions. And then we've got to go find five or seven. So they know exactly how that is going to play out in their head.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And it's going to come out because people are just going to make stuff up. And agents will say what they need to say. So I would just disregard it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Well, no, look, so look, there is nuance between them, right? Because they're all unique situations, right? And then with Scali and, Sargent, and some of these were also soccer decisions that Pochettino said, I don't want to bring them in. Tessman, right? And he said that publicly. So with Christian, I understand very clearly what it's like to need a break, as do you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I think people forget, Jordan, how hard that league is. And so when you say ups and downs, like... If you get a Chelsea away, City home, even Tottenham away, which is a 17th place club, that's a tough run. You could lose three games, right? And so it's just a hard league.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
That's right. And two of the top teams historically are 16th and 17th, right? So it's just tough. Yeah, it's crazy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
That's a great question. Okay, I got a few things.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I would say first support your local team. Make an effort to go. It's not going to be like watching the Premier League. So whether it's an MLS team or a USL team or an NWSL team, Go support that because supporting soccer helps everyone. I'm not sure I can in good conscience right now tell them to support the Gold Cup team because I don't know what that's going to look like.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I mean, but we're all going to watch, right? We're disappointed, but we're all going to watch. We're going to be paying attention. I'm going to be covering it, so I'm going to be invested. Watch the Gold Cup team. Watch the women's national team. And then I also think, and people probably disagree with me on this, but I am genuinely excited to watch the Club World Cup. I don't know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Tim, you probably disagree. I don't know how many players are really going to care about it initially. But I think once you get into it and you're playing these different teams and the crowds are there, I think it's going to be exciting. So I am going to be paying attention to that. Quite a bit. And my kids are going to be off at camp, so I do not have to babysit.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
No, it's babysitting.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
It's definitely babysitting. So that's it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And by the way, some of the best recollections and stories come from the comments or from the questions you guys ask. So you actually get some of the best feedback because it's things we hadn't even thought about until you sent them. So just send them. There's no dumb question, a lot of dumb comments, but no dumb question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
You don't need to be nice to me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Thanks, JR. All right, Timmy, another great show. Thanks for another informative and entertaining episode. I think people really enjoyed that. We appreciate all of you guys, all your support. As always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anywhere you get your podcasts. And make sure you follow across all of our social media platforms at Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
In 2013, I had played probably 14 straight years of 11-plus months of soccer, 40-plus games a year. And I have never said this publicly, but I was on the verge, and I think I've mentioned this to you, I was on the verge of a real breakdown where it could have got scary for me. I'm going to leave it at that, and you can understand where I'm going with that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Do not forget our live show, June 11th at 5.30 p.m. at BMO Field in downtown LA. You can get tickets at unfilteredsoccer.com backslash live. Should be a lot of fun.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I want to say the caveat to all of these guys needing a break and not coming in. If there's something serious going on in your life, in your family, mentally, whatever, I get it. So I'm going to assume for sake of this conversation that's not going on, but I am admitting I could be wrong with that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
If they would actually come out and give reasons, it would help us, but none of them want to say anything publicly. I think it would help them publicly to say this is why. It would help people understand. So I'm going to preface it with that. That being said, With Christian, I think the hard part with him is he is, whether he likes it or not, the leader of this team. Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
He doesn't have to wear the armband. It's not easy being a leader, by the way. It's not. And everybody is watching everything he does. Okay. And so the example I'm going to use is Yunus Musa. I don't have info on this. I don't have any inside info on this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I can imagine, and I could be wrong, that over the last few months, Christian and Eunice were sitting talking in the locker room multiple times and Christian saying, you know, I'm just thinking about maybe not going to the Gold Cup because I am tired. And Eunice, a 22-year-old impressionable young man, could also be saying, shoot, I'm tired too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I want to spend the summer with my family and not have to go play for six more weeks. And that's the kind of influence a leader has. Other guys here get wind of Christian not going and they say, oh, maybe I don't want to. Maybe Jedi says, yeah, I don't want to go. So with Christian, I put him separate because he's played a ton of games. He's been a leader. He's been the man. And he's performed.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And he cares. It shows that he cares when he's with the team. So I'm going to put him over here. The problem I have with Christian in the last few weeks is he's still playing for Milan.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
Okay? So if you're tired and you're burnout and whatever, if you guys are still playing for a Champions League spot, fine, I get it. They had, Tim, nothing to play for this weekend.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
They had the same thing to play for that you and I did. Zero. Right? So that's my one thing. Okay? So I'm going to put Christian there. Let's get in Yunus Musa. I don't even have words because he's 22. He's played 16 games this year. And he's tired and wants to spend now. Again, with the preface or the caveat that maybe there's something serious going on. If there is, I apologize.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I'm going to assume there's not because I haven't heard anything from you. To me, that's not even worth talking about. The Jedi Robinson thing. So if people remember, he took time off during Nations League because he needed to get his knee right. You know what he did the next weekend, Tim? Played? He started and played for Fulham. So he also now said he's not going to go to the Gold Cup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
I always say this, holidays, summer is the worst. So Memorial Day is the worst. Three days in a row, my one son had a tournament. Soccer tournament an hour away. And then they, of course, the time's like 8.30 in the morning and their second game's at 5.30 p.m. So you're going to sit in Temecula for seven hours with nothing to do. So my wife took them one day. I took them the other day.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
He doesn't want to go to the Gold Cup. Fine. You've had a long season. You've performed great. Why are you starting and playing 90 minutes the last two games for Fulham if your knee's so messed up? What are you doing? What kind of message is that sending? If you are really injured, and that's no problem. You're totally fine. We respect that. Everyone has to make the decision that's best for them.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
What the hell are you doing? So my biggest thing, Tim, and then I'll stop. My biggest thing with these guys right now is... The national team is not a priority for them.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
And I'm not going to say they don't care. There's levels of caring. It's just not a priority. If it was, Antony would have said, I'm not playing these last four games because I want to play in the gold. Period. End of story. So, all right. I'm off.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
2014, 2014.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Gold Cup Roster, Chaos in San Diego, and the English Premier League Season Wrap-Up
She took them yesterday, which means the other one is with our other two kids at home. It's a disaster.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Yeah, look, my take on all these is, Messi, I mean, just keep doing what you're doing. Like, there's no surprise there. Like, we're giving you a nomination, but like, also not surprised. What I am surprised at, like, the last two blow my socks off. Here's why. 16 years old. Like... It was so hard.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
It was so hard for me to compete at the top of my game and to be motivated and not worry about the outcome and not be afraid because I was all of those things at 16, like on the biggest stage to have, I admire these young players. They have just, they just have so much,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
freedom and and it's it's incredible what what youth can do so that for me at the european championships is like one goal four assists for spain at 16 years old pretty amazing the jose lu one is personal because here's why i didn't know he still played soccer and don't laugh no that's not to be disrespectful i knew you were gonna you're a bad guy Jose Liu. I'm a bad guy. You said it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
You're terrible. Jose Liu, he lived in my neighborhood in Manchester. We went to the same gym, country club gym spa. And he was playing, I think, for Stoke City at the time. And he might have either come from or gone to Newcastle, right? And he was like- at Stoke city playing sometimes like that's it. Right. Like end of story. And so that's not, he's a good, good player on his day, but okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Next thing I know, probably 10 years go by before I hear his name, this pops up and I'm thinking, I called my mate who was our trainer in, in, in England and he was friends with him. And I said, Tom, I just saw a Jose Lu. It's not the same one, right? No, a Jose Lu scored for Real Madrid. He went, yeah, expletive, expletive, expletive. Can you believe it? I'm like, that's not the same person.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Sure enough, same Jose Lu. That's incredible. Maybe he gets the nod. All right, he gets your nod.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
The Unfiltered Soccer Podcast is brought to you by Volkswagen, the presenting partner of U.S.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
They're not just talking about it. They're out there doing it. VW's partnerships, programs, and soccer clinics are unlocking opportunities for the next generation of players and fans.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Thank you to VW for being our presenting partner. Learn more about how VW are supporting U.S. soccer at VW.com. There's a lot in life that feels like it should be guaranteed that just isn't. Your team winning the championship, the weather being good on game day, your friends remembering who has the tickets. Some days, you're just a goal-scoring machine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
The AT&T guarantee means connectivity you can depend on, deals you want, and service you deserve. Or they'll make it right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Learn more at att.com forward slash guarantee. Terms and conditions apply.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
LD, this is going to be a little bit of fun or a lot of bit of fun. 2025 preview segment, right? So we're going to have a couple headlines, which are real. And then we're going to have some fake headlines, which we're going to have a ton of fun with. And we hope that you listeners do too. But the real part, this could be the last year of the February to October MLS schedule.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I, I think I'm in favor of it. I do. I mean, I think, I think it poses challenges, right? Geographically and with the weather, it's just, I think it'll be, there'll be some places where you're just going to have to accept that that's the norm, but ultimately it favors us as a whole in America to be on the FIFA schedule.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Well, this is a space that I love. You and I chatted early on in this process. And we're like, what do we want this to be about? And ultimately, it's about... talking a load of nonsense and fun and opinions on soccer, but more than anything, interacting with our fans and hearing what fans of soccer and fans of this podcast want to hear. Like, the real stuff. Absolutely.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
So the other thing that I think it does is the American sports fan is so resilient, right? That like it will then start to believe that they have an actual home field advantage, right? Because you're like, oh, I don't want to go to Minnesota in December, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
And then people will, it's like when we played with the national team and we brought Mexico up to Columbus, people like started to really engage that. And look, the fact of the matter is geographically, I've never, ever, ever understood why more teams, don't build their clubs around the weather. What do I mean? You shouldn't be losing at home in Denver. You shouldn't be losing at home in Texas.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Now you're going to lose at home. You shouldn't be losing at home in Toronto and Minnesota and Montreal in the winter months. Like you should build these teams to be resilient to the weather. That way you automatically gain this horrific home field advantage. So yeah, I think, I think it'll be a good thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Well, look, this has needed to happen for a while, right? TFG has a task on its hands now. to rebuild the club kind of from the inside out. And what I would say is anytime you get a takeover because of how Premier League fans, English fans consume the game. It's like mana from heaven. It's like, okay, you're going to get a runway of like, they're here to do good, let's go.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Now, that's a short runway, right? Because ultimately, what we know about fans, particularly in the UK, is... if they have a bag full of excuses and gripes, let's call them gripes, not excuses, right? If you're winning, those gripes stay in the bag. If you're losing, then it becomes about the stadium needs to be redone. We need a new manager, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
So as long as you're winning, now that seems simplistic. What happened with Moshiri, and I was part of the team when that transition of power happened from Bill Kenwright, God rest his soul, to Farhad Moshiri.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
and everybody at the time and i say this because i was part of that that culture it was sell the damn club bill sell the damn club and bill can't remember it yeah yeah i don't want to sell to just anybody because i love this club right and it's always about dollars we get that so he sells right to an ultra rich billionaire and everybody at everton was going yeah
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
The way that media works now, you're getting all the scores and highlights right at your fingertips. As soon as you wake up, you roll over, you check your phone, check your favorite teams. But we can actually use this space and the time to dig into, like, issues that are on the tip of everybody's tongue and the front of mind. So I've enjoyed that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Fast forward eight years later, seven managers later, three directors of football later, fines and sanctions because the money that they demanded be spent was spent and it was spent irresponsibly, right? So- New ownership, they've got to build the trust of the supporters. They get the new stadium involved in the deal and the package to transition the team from Goodison Park to Bramley Moor Dock.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
So that's good. What I look at, and United are starting to get it right. Look, Manchester United, everybody's got something to say about them. They're on the tip of everybody's tongue. But Ineos is creating this... this hierarchy from the top down from Sir Jim Radcliffe and Brailsford down. And I know they brought in Omar Barada from Man City and they just fired or let go of Dan Ashworth.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
But the fact of the matter is they're building a sustainable structure between ownership and the playing staff. So They have their work cut out for them. I think Sean Deitch's contract is up at the end of the season. I don't think they'll retain him, not because I don't like him, and I think he's a really good football manager.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
And what he did, and you know this over the last three years, to steer this football club to safety, Has been football genius because, look, they were under sanctions. They got fined. They sat to sell, you know, some of their better players. They couldn't bring players in.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Got dot points. They have, you know, they have probably three top players and he got them to buy in. So, like, yeah, Landon, I think their work is cut out for them. But it's sunnier days, certainly from where this club has been over the last couple of years.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Not as fake as one might think.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
There's lots of levels of fakeness in this world. No, I think that... I think it could happen. I still wouldn't put them as my favorites, but I like them, and I think that not a terribly fake headline.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Okay. Yeah. Easy to say now, but they're not showing us any signs that it's fake.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I've enjoyed not always agreeing with you, but with respect, always back and forth banter and debate. But most importantly, the fans. It's just awesome to hear their feedback.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Amazing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Wow. Wow. Another FIFA tournament. The Intercontinental World Global Championship Tournament Cup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Here's the thing. That is... The wildest headline ever, other than the fact that, I mean, we need more soccer. Who needs more soccer?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
The players don't need more soccer. Oh, my God.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Other than the fact that I can't imagine there being another competition, but I didn't think there'd be another competition a couple years ago. Did you think Nations League would exist? No, I'm glad it does, to be fair.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Not a fake headline. The U.S. need, U.S. men need to win the Nations League and the Gold Cup double. They need it for morale. They need it for confidence. They need it because, let me go on the other side of glory, they need to get to semifinals and finals of tournaments together in big moments to know what that feels like. Because, again, we're beating this horse.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
there is no World Cup qualifying. They need to be in those moments where it hurt, where that sour feeling in your belly when you wake up because something is on the line that day and your whole group needs to feel it. And there's not enough of those moments. I mean, when we were playing, there wasn't enough of those moments.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
And so I think if you look at the headline of them winning both the Nations League and the Gold Cup, that means they will have gotten to those moments and surpassed them. And so, and I think this team can do it under Marcio Pochettino. So yeah, I'm excited for that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Yeah, we are back. Listen, Landon, this is everyone. This is what we're hearing. Everyone's favorite time of the week when Jordan, our wonderful producer, joins us for mailbag questions. But first, today, because it's the holidays, we have a trivia game. I love trivia. Yeah, I'm good at trivia, by the way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Where's your Houston dash at? Let me see.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I'm certain it's on Santa's sleigh.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Okay. Just saying. All right. We'll get that up in the new year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Always. Do we have buzzers? Do we have bells? How are we ringing in?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
That's the worst question ever.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Sometimes you carry us and most of the time I carry us.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I'm saying 1897. Okay. So Tim's actually closer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
1886.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
You weren't going to… I just rung in. It doesn't matter. Yes, her mother came to the game, the final, for the first time ever coming to America from Brazil. Amazing, amazing story.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Oh, God.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
See, I just helped you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
That's too many. That's too many.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Oh, you know. You know what? I'm an investor in the Houston Dynamo and Dash, and I'm going to speak to our bosses because this is completely slanted towards Galaxy. And you've done something in your contract five times.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Next episode is all about Houston.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Wow, five? It's you. It's you. It's ridiculous. Not the podcast. How many times has it landed?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
It's a brilliant question. The answer to it is this. I don't think... I don't think you can be great or chase greatness or be considered amongst the elite as an athlete if you don't sacrifice everything.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
i miss weddings and funerals and birthdays um i i closed off from everybody on the in on the outside world by the way i'm not saying this is always healthy and i'm not saying it's always good i needed to get to a level and i've experienced this with other players around me where you where you just create this bubble around yourself you let very few people in um performance wise you have to go to these
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
these incredibly dark rooms in your mind to get yourself focused, to block all the other nonsense out that says you aren't good. There's a lot of takers out there, right? And people fall victim to that because ultimately with what I'm saying, and I know Landon agrees is, is, you isolate yourself to make those performances happen day in, day out, but then you're lonely.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
LD, I took my daughter to see Hell's Kitchen on Broadway. The Alicia Keys produced show last night. Second time I saw it. When I go to see a show more than once, you know I love it. When I first saw it, it was top three for me. I know it's up there with Jersey Boys. And then last night it's moved into the top two. I mean, amazing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
And so you search for people to come to, maybe you go to the nightclub and you buy them bottles of alcohol, or you bring them on shopping sprees with you, you bring them on vacation. We see that all the time. And it's just simply to bring someone close to you. And those people are usually leeches. And so it is so hard. It's so hard. But again, for me, I had to sacrifice everything.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I'm not always proud of that, but certainly proud of the career.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Yeah, and I also think to add to that, Jordan and Landon, look, I mean, the question is brilliant. When it comes to, you know, I put a lot of onus on and blame and responsibility on the agents for not protecting some of these young players. On the clubs, now the clubs are doing a better job in terms of bringing in welfare officers and making sure that
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I think the other fun part about LD is, like, when I think about some topics that we've touched on but we're going to get more into is, you know, even, like, systemic issues in the game, right? Promotion relegation, the building of youth soccer in America, the pros and cons. Like, this is what everybody's dealing with.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
um they have they have people men and women around the team first team academy players who are looking out for for their welfare on and off the pitch so that that's help but look for me the social media aspect is difficult and a lot of players fall victim to it ld and the fact of the matter is I've always believed someone buys a ticket and someone watches a game and that's what they get.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
They get a 90 minute experience. You give everything you have. And if on a certain day it's good enough, great. And if on a certain day it isn't, okay. But the amount of times that these athletes feel compelled to explain themselves and explain performances. They have to learn to let things live where it's going to be.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
When they say something, as long as it's thought out and maybe fact-checked with their agent or their manager or their best friend that they trust, let it live out there. This constant internet, social media battle isn't healthy for players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I can write the foreword if there's enough coin involved. Keep going.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Yeah, The Keeper by Tim Howard. It's still on shelves. You can get it by Christmas Eve if you'd like. Did y'all set this up, by the way, Jordan? Did he tell you to ask this? No, listen, listen. I'll be honest. The book I wrote is great. If you have trouble sleeping, if you tuck into chapter one about 10 o'clock, it'll put you right to sleep.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
My favorite book was Roy Keane's autobiography, and I think he wrote two. But he's one of the most fascinating, amazing human beings I've ever been around, one of the greatest players, top. three that I've ever played with. I mean, I think the world of him on and off the pitch. And, um, I remember having his book and, and, and I was in the main address room. I was a kid.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
And I remember, I think he, he, he joked about having like boxes of, of his books still like in his car, in the trunk of his car. And I remember saying like, you know, you know, can I, can I have a, can I have a book please? You know? And he's like, he brought me the book in the next day. And I was like, could you sign it? He's like, to you? I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, to me, to me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
And so he signed it. But anyway, in that book, he talks about, it's one of the craziest, greatest stories that I, football stories is when he tore his cruciate ligament making a run in the penalty area in Alfie Holland. Erland Holland's father at the time stood over him and told him to get up and told him that he was faking. And a lot of people won't agree with this or think it's okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
These are, like, high-level soccer fans who are dealing with this and moms and dads who have their kids in soccer are dealing with it. And it's like, it's really interesting some of these conversations that we're going to be able to get into because they're going to be very, I think, informative. And I've talked to, as an example, the promotion relegation thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
And maybe I don't either, other than the fact that it speaks to who Roy Keane is as a person. He spent a year
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
know eight months to a year rehabbing a cruciate ligament and he comes back and most of the time for all most players and human beings that the anger towards an individual would subside right after a year yeah you want to get back on the pitch and Roy lined Alfie Holland up and snapped his leg and looked at looked at him stood over him and
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
said some things that maybe Alfie Holland said to Roy a year before. And he took his armband off, accepted the red card, and he walked off the pitch. And whether we like that or not, we're not teaching you to be overaggressive and snap people's legs. But the fact of the matter was, he's different. And I love the fact that I play with him and have the book. Great book.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
No, no, no.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
You got a book and a hat coming. What's your favorite? You read a lot of soccer books in general.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I'm on one side of the argument, but you know what? I've had conversations, as I mentioned, where I've been talked off that side to the other. So like, it's so complex, but also fun for our listeners as well.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Yeah, I mean, I think the easy answer is this space is really an awesome space to be in. It allows for freedom of kind of connectivity and expression. And I think when it, more than anything, podcasts allow you to build a community, right? And this is what we're doing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
It allows you to kind of have this steady stream every single week and a touch point for us with each other and our listeners, but for...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
our listeners and viewers uh back to us as well right and there's this constant communication and collaboration and um you know when it comes when it comes to talking soccer it's it's what everybody wants to do and we we're very fortunate to be a part of that also you know the logistics are there's a lot of podcasts out there that aren't done very well and and being a part of a
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
good team is something landon and i have always hung our hat on on and off the field and so when sinclair came and said that they have the right formula to create a successful podcast and they wanted landon and i um you know the relationship between between the three groups just seemed to mesh so yeah but most importantly it's community it's just like we're you know as we build this thing the unfiltered soccer community is going to be the largest in america and we're going to have the loudest voice and so we're just happy to take that journey with you
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Yeah, great explanation in terms of taking us down that road. What I would say about the Spain game was... When you're in South Africa, or depending on geography, you feel a million miles away, right? And South Africa felt a million miles away. You know where you are on the map, but you're also like, You're together in this hotel for a month, and you just feel far away, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
And so there's so much camaraderie. And we barely, as Landon said, squeaked by getting the Egypt result. I don't think we were playing brilliant football in that tournament. In fact, I think we got battered in our opening game. But we go into this Spain game, and now everyone knows, like, we're not under any illusions. at the training table, in the training room, on the training ground.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
We know what's going to happen. We understand how great this Spain team is. And to just explain to the listeners, this wasn't a fluke. This Spain team didn't go... Uh, it's, it's the, it's the U S we'll roll over there. Maybe they thought that, but they didn't perform that way. We hit him. We, we smacked them in the teeth and they didn't like it. And Josie, Josie was rolling.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Josie out the door was putting world-class center backs on his back and turning them and rolling. And by the way, it wasn't because they didn't decide to turn up. It's because Josie was strong. He was an ox. And on that day, he gave it to him. Clint Dempsey, he was another one. He produced magic. I think Charlie Davis was on the team. We earned every ounce of that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
And the craziest thing for me is like in the moment, like explain to our listeners, you're trying, I can speak for myself. I'm desperately trying to stay in the moment because I am feet fluttering off the ground, mind racing, like we could do this. And I'm like, no, no, no, we haven't done anything. Like get back to the moment, right? There's still 25 minutes left.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
And then five minutes goes by and another shot goes. And then you start to think, oh, we could win this. And this constant trying to refocus my mind to be like, Stop thinking about this monumental achievement you're about to create and focus on the moment. And then ultimately, I think the biggest, as amazing as that is as players and Landon will attest to this,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
People have been asking for the last 20 years, when's the U.S. going to win a major tournament? That question is going to get asked 500 trillion million billion times over the next 18 months. We had a chance. We were up 2-0, I think, against Brazil, right, with 45 minutes to go. We had the opportunity to be that team. And look, Brazil was just freaking incredible too, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
But that's the takeaway is that that game was just so – Um, so incredible because we, we, we shouldn't have been there. We shouldn't have been in that moment and we shouldn't have performed the way we did, but that's the beautiful ball.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Yeah, I mean, I think for me, that's it. To grow this show organically with our listeners, create that community. For me, two things stand out for the new year. definitely want to do a live show. I want to take the show on the road. I want to be amongst our people.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I want to feel that energy of what a live show is like, whether that's a Q&A or a moderated session or just Landon and I rapping and doing it in front of a live audience. I know what that energy feels like, and I know it's going to be just awesome for everybody involved. So that's going to be a huge undertaking, but also one that
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
again continue and again continues to build community get it get some merchandise out there make sure everybody's waving it around um excited about that i'm also excited about about bringing on and we talk about how i think we had a question recently jordan about like how do we continue to build this momentum of soccer in america and build this community like i'm excited to bring on um
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
some cross-cultural guests on the show, right? That want to get into soccer or have invested in soccer or have some sort of tie to soccer, but they're not soccer people. And I want to hear what their journey is like and kind of share that with you all and get a chance to understand how far we have and that reach we have.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Well, that's what, that's what, that's what you all need to send us in some things we missed or your favorite shithousery moments. Hit us at unfilteredsoccer.com. Look for me, if the category is going to be named best shithousery, um, I do think like your name is on the MLS MVP trophy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Yeah, thanks so much, everybody. And thank you to our presenting sponsor, VW. Have a great week. Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Happy Kwanzaa. Whatever you're celebrating, do it with love with your family and others. We'll be back next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I think Jamie Vardy's name has to be on the trophy because like this guy who I played against, by the way, in the Premier League winning season of 2016, he just drinks Red Bull and is up for a fight. Like that's what he does. His team's down 2-0. No problem. He's going to run the line. He's going to be nicking balls off. He's going to go down in the box. Like he...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
The fact that he scored and then celebrated that with Spurs fans and gave him a bit like, I love that. I love that. And also, by the way, it's Jamie Vardy. That's what I expect from him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Yeah, it's because of how she grew up and it's actually in that area. But yeah, it was a special show.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Did you cover Spain at the Euros at all?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
They were special. They were so fun to watch. They were fun to watch. Without massive names. Correct. Big names, but not the traditional. I mean, Bayer Leverkusen for me under Xavi Alonso has just been so impressive. With the young manager playing progressive football, taking on German players. footballing giants in Munich and Dortmund and did it unapologetically.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
But for me, for me, you know, because I get a vote, as I keep saying, it's our show, the US women's national team winning gold, it's, it's so difficult because of the standard that they set it, if they don't win a gold medal or a World Cup, it's a catastrophe. Literally, the team gets ripped up and questions are asked and manager gets changed. And like,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
It's incredible. And I, you know, when I, whenever I get a chance to speak to some of the women players, just offline, it's like that mentality of always number one, going in and having to win. And then by the way, when you do win, it's like, Yeah, that's kind of what you're supposed to do. Like, it's almost, it's such a thankless position when you set such a high standard.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
But for them to do it again and again, and to kind of rebound, right? Like, to get back to the footballing summit, I thought it was awesome. Always exciting to watch them. And doesn't, you know, my daughter, who is, you know, as you know, a soccer player and going to play in college next year, like... we get an opportunity together to like cheer this team on and wear the jerseys and go crazy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
So it's always fun.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Yeah, I thought it was awesome. Moving it along, biggest shock of the year. Now, this category is interesting because there's a couple of things. Whatever shocks you is fine. Winning, losing, that type of thing. In the category, we have Manchester City. Take that how you want it. The fact that they've won the title last year, last season, and now they're in the position that they're in.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Nottingham Forest in fourth place in the Premier League. Massive, massive, massive shock. Chelsea in the Premier League, where they are second, chasing a title after just things being upside down for the last couple of years. Atlanta knocks off Inter-Miami and Messi in the playoffs, first round.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
That blew our mind. No one saw that coming. San Marino, the lowest ranked FIFA national team, breaks a 20-year losing streak.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I'm thinking there's a zero.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
When they put that on there, I was like, what? If it was a two-year losing streak, we'd think it was good. 20-year losing streak.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
And a 1-0 win over Liechtenstein. So... Talk to me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
You're the biggest shock. It's all yours.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Golf clap for it. Did you buy it? I asked you if you bought it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Yeah, look, the Tim Weah red card, as you said, he's still a young player. And that's such a big moment. And I know he felt it in a heavy way. And he's bounced back. And it's amazing how quickly you can mature from these things. So that's an interesting one. Look, I'm not sure. The Canada drone scandal, it could actually fall in best shithousery. It really could. I mean, here's what I would say.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Here's what I would say. There's legalities and lawsuits. I'm going to say CONCACAF, don't you dare. Don't you dare start making scapegoats out of Canada. They might've done wrong. They might've done wrong. But you and I have been in Azteca. Yeah, we've been in El Salvador. We've been in San Pedro Sula in Honduras. We've been in Jamaica.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
There's a whole lot of folks at our training match day minus one that ain't supposed to be there. And they pretend to have other jobs around the stadium, but I can assure you there's one job that they have. So before we go picking and choosing who we're going to blame and who we're going to bring scandals upon, and yes, Canada, if you messed up, then shame on you and you should be dealt with.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
We need more soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
But deal with everybody, CONCACAF.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
I love it. Please just spin around. Let me see a little bit of the back. All right. It's all stitched and everything. We got a great show today. This is going to be fun. We're going to go a little off kilter, rip up the format a little bit, and we're just going to talk about some interesting things about the show so far and things to look ahead as we end the year in football.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Unfiltie Awards, 2025 Soccer Predictions, & 2009 Confederations Cup Reflections
Your penalty gets saved the next day.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
When you played for the Olympic team, there were a lot of guys that you battled against every week in the NBA.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Are they going to keep doing this and get exposed defensively at times? It would be really interesting to follow.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
You're going to put him on the bench.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Good point. Yeah, I can't wait for Gold Cup now this summer. And we'll get a view of it in the friendly games leading up to it. And we'll see. The other interesting game from MLS this weekend was Inter-Miami home to Dallas. What a game. They're up 3-1 at half, and Dallas comes storming back and win 4-3. Messi, Suarez, and Alba all sat this one out, which you can understand.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
As you've said many times, they're all in on Champions League, Champions Cup, and all in on the championship, and they care less about the supporter shield. So they sat those three. And they're looking ahead to Vancouver this week in the second leg at home on Wednesday.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
well two they got the Champions Cup but in the league obviously the league is always important before we move on to the Premier League quick shout out if you haven't seen the Kevin Dank Eagle from Cincinnati watch it phenomenal cross bike it's like the level of difficulty is just insane so go watch it on YouTube All right, Tim, you were following this weekend.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
As much as I'm a Blue and an Everton fan, I have to say, watching the scenes, particularly at the end of the game, and I thought you guys, Rebecca, NBC producers, did a phenomenal job. I forget who was calling the game, but he called the game, put his stamp on it, and then they laid out. And they just let the scene speak.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And Rebecca, basically every minute or so, would come in with a little tidbit about someone or a little tidbit about that person and then lay out for a minute or two. And I just sat there and I was like, this is awesome. Just watching the scene. And I'm not a Liverpool fan, far from it, but it was really fun to watch.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Oh, man. It was phenomenal. And the best part, Tim, the best is like you'll see a face and you go, I mean, you way more than me, but I'll go. recognize that face and they go, London, brilliant to have you back. Welcome back London. You know? And like, even up in the hospitality area, this woman, I, I don't remember her name, but I just know her face and she's so sweet.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And history tells you that you're going to go downhill after that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
That's history.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
They were so good. I read a few, I was reading some comments about why they were able to go from Klopp to Slott so successfully. And he said, and players said, some players said, He's making individual players better, spending time making them better. But they had a good roster and he changed a few things.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
They were more happy to not have the ball at times with Klopp, but now they just wanted to be more dominant with the ball and it was so seamless and they were just... They fully deserved winners.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And she was there when I was there. She's probably been there 30 years. Yeah. So sweet. Like, oh man, I just, I loved being back there. That's great. I saw Moyes as well. He was obviously in the best mood. After losing, but his dad was there. So he had his dad, him, his son, and his daughter, his wife, and his grandson. And his dad sat down and I said, how old's your dad? And he said, 91.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And they kept playing well and kept going.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
The FA Cup semifinals were also this weekend. City into their third straight final. They have said publicly, look, this keeps us having a decent year. They obviously want to get into Champions League, and that chase is going to be tight as it comes down to the end of the season.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
But it feels like these teams, man, they have such a terrible season, and they could still win the FA Cup, which would be phenomenal. And we're going to have an American... On the other side, Chris Richards. Congrats to him. Palace walloped Villa 3-0. You have to say the odds-on favorites are City, but Cup Final. You never know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
All right, let's move on to USLNT and USMNT. Just a couple highlights this week. One big one. Christian just keeps doing the business, man. And midweek, they got to the Coppa Italia final with a 3-0 win versus Inter. And then he scored this weekend against Venezia in the fifth minute. He is one of only three Serie A players to have been directly involved in at least 50 goals.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
He has 31 goals and 19 assists in the last two seasons in all competitions alongside Aramola Lukman and Lautaro Martinez. He just keeps going, man. And when he has a little dip, he's back and... It's really fun to see, and I'm just now as a national team fan, need the rest of the team to get on board. Like, do not waste these years of him being so good. It's time to get on board.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
That's right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
It's a huge moment, Tim, for him that he recognizes that, he's aware of it, and he wants to win. Yeah. I'll just speak from experience. There were many times in my career where I could have thought I could, I can score today. I could score today and we might win. We might not, or I can put all my energy into being in good spots, defensively helping my teammates doing the little things.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And then he goes, dad, do you want a wee bit of scotch? And I said, scotch? And he goes, aye. So he poured him a scotch. He's 91. Go on, Moisey.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And I know we're going to win and you sacrifice that. And I'm really glad to see him do that and then get acknowledged for it. I think that's a big part of being a real leader. So congrats to him. Um, Really quickly, too, Brennan Aronson back in the Premier League as leads get promoted. Awesome for him. He has had a phenomenal season.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
I know he's disappointed to miss out on Nations League, but if he keeps going, man, wouldn't be surprised if you see him in the Gold Cup team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Yeah, he's got to make himself his cup of tea, right? That's his job. All right, Timmy, it is time for the unfiltered refresh sponsored by Coors Light. Choose chill, get Coors Light delivered. Go to CoorsLight.com slash USLNT. Jules Koundé, take a bow. You chose chill this week. 116th minute winner sends Barcelona and their fans into rapture as they beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Wow, what a goal. Stepped into midfield, picked the ball off. banged it into the corner. Very subdued celebration. Very chill, if you might. Barca has absolutely dominated Real Madrid this year, Tim. They scored four goals, five goals, and now three goals. They've just battered them. I was not expecting Barca to have this kind of rebound of a year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Sad way for Ancelotti to leave Madrid, but congrats to Barca.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And he looked amazing. I was like, good for you, man. So it was great. It was so good to see him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Yeah, and they're going to have to, it's going to be interesting to see how they adjust now going forward. Obviously, it didn't go perfectly according to plan with Mbappe coming in and, you know, they started a decent season, but how is the next manager now going to, you know, is it Xavi Alonso? How are they going to incorporate him, how are they going to change?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Because they've had one voice for so long. So it's going to be interesting to follow. But congrats to Barca. Chose Koundé. Chose Chill. Good job, my friend. All right, we're going to take a break. When we come back, we have a very, very special guest, Tim. Thanks to you, a relationship you've developed over the years. He's recently joined the soccer world.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
He's not traditionally a soccer person, although he's more into soccer than you think. We will speak to him when we come back right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. You don't want to miss it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Nice shirt, Jason, first of all. Second, Timmy, I'll let you start because you have a relationship with Jason. When we prepare for the show, Jason, obviously we do our research. I didn't realize... I grew up with you watching you the same timeframe as I was playing. I didn't realize all these things you accomplished. So my apologies for not knowing how good you were.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Yeah, we're going to get into all of that. We got a good show today. Really good show. As always, follow us on social media, Unfiltered Soccer. I'm imploring you guys, please subscribe because people are finding out more and more about it. Lots of people. I played in a golf tournament this week and the guy said, oh, I love your podcast. So people are finding out.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Um, I used to hate you as a Laker fan. Um, and then I liked you when you're an assistant coach, but, um, Congrats on an incredible career. And Timmy, take it away. Thank you, Landon. Thank you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
No. So, so you said, so you were, I'm assuming you're at some golf event, whatever you get introduced to these, these folks. And then how does it progress into a relationship where then either they invite you or you say, I want to be a part of, of Everton?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
So please subscribe on YouTube and make sure you follow on Apple Podcasts. Anywhere you get your podcasts, Spotify, et cetera. You can leave a review. Again, it helps people find us. And then as always, great, great feedback we get from you guys. Email us at feedback at unfilteredsoccer.com. All right, Tim. Our guest last week, Bruce Arena – Caused quite a stir.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Jason, how do you compare? My dad grew up playing hockey. And so he always watched my games through a hockey lens. So he would always say to me, Tim, I don't think I ever shared this with you, but he'd always say, why don't you shoot more? Just shoot more. And I'd say, dad, if I'm 30 yards out and I shoot and it goes over the goal, now they have a goal kick and they have the ball.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And in his mind, he's thinking it just hits the back of the boards and it stays in. So it's worth shooting, you know? And so I'm like, no, I'm not going to just shoot from anywhere. But how do you compare soccer and basketball that way? Almost like tactically and the way the game flows, are there comparisons there?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S. Soccer for the past five years.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And I don't know if you realize these things in the moment. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. But he said something in the moment. And I was like, oh, that was pretty bold. And Bruce is 74, so he doesn't care. He just says what he... He's always been that way. He just says what he feels. Made a comment saying he believes the U.S. national team coach should be American.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Look at those cleats, by the way. It's amazing. Where was that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
You actually look like a soccer player. I gotta be honest. I look young.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Yeah, so actually I was happy to watch this week. Is it Pistons next who are playing? Yeah. Yes. And, you know, I turned on the game, I think it was yesterday in the fourth quarter, and it was like… 76 to 67. And I'm like, thank God. It's usually like 104 to 101 at this point in the game. And then just watching the game and how chippy and nasty. And I was like, thank you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
That's the NBA I grew up watching and I loved, right? And so my question is, when you, one, played for the Olympic team, and I'll get around to why this is relevant to soccer, but when you played for the Olympic team, there were a lot of guys that you just Most of the guys you just battled against every week in the NBA and to the point you just like can't stand each other, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
But then how do you set that aside? Because this is obviously with soccer, it's very common, right? Because you play for your national team a lot. come together and then put that aside and play as a team. Did you have to consciously do that? Did you guys fit naturally back in together? How did that work?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And that was the headline of the show last week. And it got tons and tons of feedback from... I did some research because I was curious about this. So I don't know if you know this. So in 2014... World Cup, 15 of the 32 coaches were foreign. Almost half. 2018, only 8 of the 32 were foreign. So only a quarter. In 2022, 9 of the 32 had foreign coaches.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Jay, I want to ask you about, cause you're a coach and I can't tell if this is a generational thing or if it's a cultural thing or whatever, but in, and I think you know where I'm going, but
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Our national team, certainly recently and over the, I would say the last five to seven years, we have a lot of moments now with our national team where I'm not in the business of judging intent or pride or care, but it looks like what you talked about, the honor to represent your country, doesn't mean quite as much when they come into national team camp. And we've seen that a few times.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
I know you're not a national team coach, but in the NBA now, generationally, the way We just followed the Shador Sanders saga, and there's so much attention. Do you think players are missing that pride needed to play at that level? What do you see in players? Is there too much focus on everything off the court? How would you, I guess, explain what you see now in this generation?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
But I guess the point is anywhere between a quarter and half, which is way more than I would have thought by then. And I was going through the list of all the national team managers currently. It's way more than 50% are foreign actually. And that really surprised me. Pochettino, he spoke on ussoccer.com recently about the pride thing that we've been talking about.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
feel that and and right when you said that my mind went to you know i don't know how closely you follow but we had a nations league a tournament about a month or so ago we lost a semi-final game to panama which would be like the U.S. basketball team losing to, I don't know, Puerto Rico or something, right? Right. Just unacceptable.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And then three days later, we play Canada, which is a pretty good team, and then we lose again, and it's kind of the same effort. And so you talk about losing and learning from that, but... do you see generationally, generationally it's different now? Because I mean, if Kobe lost a game back then or LeBron, it was like, or Michael, it was like, we ain't losing again. We're not losing again.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
So is, do you see that same fire? Am I, I'm trying to learn here is what I'm asking.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And I want to make sure we talk through all the sides of this. He said, we need to be intelligent in the way that we're going to select the players and not just choose based on talent alone. We need to have the right characters to be really competitive. It's not just about showing up in your home country and trying to play nice soccer. No, you must be proud.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Well, Jason, I look forward to the dinner that Tim's going to pay for. I also look forward. All I do now is golf. So I look forward to golfing at some point, hopefully with the Friedkin group as well. We appreciate you coming on, Jason. We wish you the very best going forward. Have a great offseason. Y'all, we're going to take a quick break.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
When we come back, we will get right into your questions in the AT&T Fan Connection, and then we'll talk anything but soccer. Really good one this week, right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Stay right there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Oh, get out of here. That's ridiculous.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
There's a Liverpool jersey and jacket and scarf.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Can we cut this out?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
You must fight for the people that would love to be in your position, for the millions of kids that are going to see us and dream to be one day where we are. This is the type of responsibility and commitment we need to show, and we didn't show that in the Nations League in LA.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Fair play. There weren't four teams, were there, in that tournament? But maybe like eight? No, I'm not being funny. I don't... Maybe eight?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Point taken. That is inaccurate. We'll say in the modern era... How's that? That sounds better. Post 1931? Yeah. All right. Fair enough. Yeah. Fair.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Mm hmm. 13 teams in 1930, thank you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Still not bad. No, not bad. I have two sides of this, and I don't sit on the fence often, but there's two sides of this. One is, yes, absolutely we put too much pressure, but the world and the world we live in puts too much pressure, so the social media world. So the minute he steps on the field, it's like, oh my God, a 14-year-old on the field. Now, the other side of that is,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
So he clearly understands that side of it, but let's hear your opinion, and I'll give mine on should the national team coach be an American?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
You know where else there's a lot of pressure? Being a professional soccer player. So yes, it's a lot of pressure, but you've got to deal with it. So you can't shy away from it when you're standing over a penalty in the 90th minute and it means a lot to your club or your country. There's a lot of pressure. So you've got to learn to deal with it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
I don't like the way the world is in that way and that everyone's glorified before they've done anything, but it's the reality, right? So you don't like it, wish it weren't the case, but he's going to have to learn to deal with it. That is the reality.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And now it's different. The one big difference from when we were is the social media aspect too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
You said 2002 was lucky? It was lucky.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Let me explain to you how qualifying works. Okay? So the final round of qualifying is 10 games. Or was at that time. 10 games. Okay. When you say Klinsman only lost two games, he lost the first two games, okay? One of which was at home. So qualifying is just a mathematical equation. And when you win at home, you earn three points, but guess who else doesn't earn any points?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
The team you play against. When you go on the road and you get three points, it's the same. Or if you get a point, you're basically stealing two points from another team playing at home, okay? So the goal for us in qualifying was win all of our home games, which would get you to 15 points, win a game or two on the road, draw a game or two and you're in. And that's it. Simple as that. Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
When you lose your first two and one of them's at home, you are so far behind the eight ball because of the points the other teams picked up. that you are in a race that you almost can never win. And the fact that Bruce got the team back to a place where they just needed to win in Trinidad, and everyone will say that game was a failure, no question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
But to say you're going to only lost two games and that it was just so easy for those remaining eight games. By the way, one of those games was going to be Mexico away. Those remaining eight games, which is almost never a win or even a point, is ridiculous. So... That's a, that's just a dumb comment in 2002 to say the team was lucky at the level that we are at with our national team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And we're still there. You have to have some element of fortune throughout a tournament.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
to advance that's still where we're at we're not brazil argentina or germany or france or spain we still need an element of fortune along the way but to then say that it was lucky to get to the quarterfinals i would encourage you to go back and watch the games um we did have some fortune but we had some great great performances too um So yeah, that's my take on that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Go ahead, Len. I know you feel a certain way about this. This is called unfiltered. So Jason, I feel your pain. I really do. I actually received that email too. And I was thinking, I think I've done enough for you, soccer. You don't need my 350, do you? I too received that email. The reality is,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
The decisions that Matt Crocker has made, who is the general manager of the national teams, or general manager of U.S. soccer, I guess, is Emma Hayes, who did not come here cheaply, and Mauricio Pochettino, who did not come here cheaply. I don't know the details of their contracts. It might be public info. I don't know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
But it's right up there with the most of any national team coaches, certainly women's in the world. They have to find ways to pay for it. And I hate it. I don't like it. I really don't like it because we've seen so many games lately where there just aren't people in the stands. It's hard for me to tell you that you should pay $100, $150, $200 to go watch a game. I don't agree with it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
I understand why they're doing it, but I don't agree with it. I would much rather our stadium be sold out and rocking every time than people feel like they're getting gouged. So I don't like it, but those are the decisions that have been made. And it's like any, any industry, right? If you have to pay a hundred dollars for an item in your store, then you got to sell it for 200.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
My question is how many bricks? Cause like,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
I have... Well, you don't answer phone calls either.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
All right. So, what I'm trying to discern here is does Jason want a brick? He just doesn't want to pay for it? Because maybe we could just buy Jason a brick.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Jason, my advice is save your money and go buy a ticket in the upper deck of the next U.S. Men's National Team game for that $350.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
I don't like it, Jason. I'm sorry, dude. I feel your pain, but this is the reality of the world we're in. All right. Long show today, but a great show. Thank you so much to Jason Kidd. Phenomenal interview. Thanks to you, Tim, for putting that together. He was great. We appreciate all you guys, as always.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Please, again, subscribe to the show on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anywhere you get your pods, and follow the show, as always, across all of our social media platforms at Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Yeah, I'm almost over the jet lag. Last week I was in England, had a phenomenal trip. So I went to three games. I asked on social media if people could guess the games, but I don't think anyone did. By the way, if you did... Let me know. I couldn't go through hundreds of messages to check what you guys said.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Okay. Well said. The player side of that is interesting too, right? That players who are not, we would say, they are officially American, but don't feel American, right? And you know it when you see it. It's hard to quantify or describe it accurately, but you know it when you see it and feel it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And there were differences between some of those guys that you mentioned and then other guys that weren't. There is just a level of pride when you are born in that country that is different. There is. And it doesn't, I'm saying born in, but that you really feel a part of that country.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
There are kids who were born in Mexico, in Tijuana here in San Diego, and at one years old, their family moved to San Diego, right? And so they feel still American. They have a tie to Mexico, but they feel American. I spoke to someone this week. He had a really interesting, I said, what's your opinion on all this? Should the national team coach be American or not?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
He said, Landon, not only should the national team coach be American, every single member of the staff should be born in America and American because everything you do then just means more to you. And I agree with that, except I've seen people who are not born here feel the same way. You remember Pierre Baru, our fitness coach?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
So I landed on Friday. I went to Reading to watch Reading versus Lincoln City in League One. I have a very, very dear friend who is a shareholder of Lincoln City. So I watched Lincoln City win there. Spent the night in London, went up to Liverpool on Saturday to watch our beloved Toffees. Unfortunately, I lose to Man City, but amazing to be back there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
He was born in France, but he would do anything for us to win because he was so connected, right? So I understand it. My problem with all this is, especially on the player side, we're kind of going off on a tangent here, but... If you wanted to just cut out all the BS, all the lobbying, all the, your grandma was born here, your grandpa was born there, whatever.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
You just say, whatever country you were physically born in is who you're going to play for. That's it. And then there's no ambiguity. There's none of this, you know, oh, well, I couldn't make the... you know, the French team. So I'm going to go play in the Caribbean for a French Island. And you know, they're just, it would just all be cut out. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
That would be the easiest way to stop the conversation. Now, as far as national team coach being American, I believe the national team coach should be American. But my reasoning is we need to give opportunities to coaches to get better and learn and get better. And actually my, my issue, I don't, first of all, I don't have an issue with Pochettino.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Being here, I think it's less about where he's from and more about he's never coached a national team. I think he's learning on the job right now. And it's way different. I mean, Bruce said it last week. He said it's a totally different job, totally different skill set. You have guys for two days. You're not training. You're not teaching them. You're not producing a game model.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
It's just getting them going and fired up and caring about their country. And that's where you have Christian Pulisic born in the middle of Pennsylvania versus someone who's born in France or Germany. You're way ahead with Christian because he's already there. The other guys, you got to bring them along. You're going to have the national anthem printed in the background of the rooms.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
He was teaching the guy. I was like, you have to spend time doing that. You don't have time for that. You're just trying to get the players going.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Stop it. That's not true.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
There's no way that's true.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Anyway, it caused a lot. Look, it caused a stir. I like reading. I do this. I haven't been on social media in years. I'm loving reading your guys' comments because some of them are just funny. But some of them are really thought out. So send comments. I'd like to hear more of what you guys think. And give us something that's interesting. Don't just say the same old BS.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Because I'm just curious how people feel about it. And I think we will get there with this national team. I'm still optimistic. But there are challenges for sure. And I think the biggest one is just the lack of pride that we've talked about before and how do we get there? And then then coaching a national team for the first time is, is very difficult.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
Well, one guy who has shown that very clearly, let's move on to MLS, is Diego Luna. Scored twice for Salt Lake in San Diego right here in my backyard this weekend. They beat San Diego 3-1. He's on the verge now, Tim, of
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And then I went to Lincoln from there and saw them play Monday. against Bolton and win that game as well and then went home Tuesday. That's a lot of soccer. It was a lot of soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
having one of those seasons where you just go okay the guy you're watching the guy become a real player right in front of your eyes and key for him stay humble he is a humble kid humble beginnings but it was really interesting i i've been watching san diego fc closely actually and what's happened now and i said this in the beginning i said they're not deep
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And as teams start to figure them out, will they be able to adjust? So teams have figured them out now. So they're very, very good at what they do in build-out, but they're very open when they lose the ball, extremely.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
And what's going to be interesting now is you have a coach there who is, Mikey Veras, who's there, who is put there to sort of implement the Norshulin style, which is where the ownership group and the soccer side came from. And they're very...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Jason Kidd talks Everton FC, Liverpool Win the League, and Barcelona Win the Copa Del Rey
adamant about playing the way they play but MLS is a different beast it's a different game and teams are starting to figure them out Salt Lake ripped them apart could have been four or five a few big chances they had just because they're so open in transition and so now the question will be Are they willing to adapt because they have a good team?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Keep the ball out of the net, because there's a lot of goalkeepers that I see today who are brilliant footballers, but they might as well have their gloves on the other hand, because they can't, they couldn't save the stand.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Cause by the way, if I see the same thing, this is good. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Yeah. I think, I think we will see, I'd be surprised if we didn't see that partnership.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
But also, if you have bad things to say, send them in. We like reading those, too. No problem.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Um, yeah, look, I, it's always interesting because I think, you know, he's at a club. Juventus is, is one of the most historic clubs in world football, right? Like that's not, that's not overstating it. And yet the premier league in and of itself, the prestige and the money, uh, It's so high that players... It's so tempting. It's so tempting.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
So do I think... But you remember, he also, as well as he's doing at events, he also goes to Everton and straight away, he's the main man. Straight away. Right? And so... Yeah, probably. So that is tempting as well. Probably more money. Probably... really easy to be tempted. I sat in a, I sat in a hotel lobby, um, an unnamed hotel lobby with, with David Moyes back in 2006.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And he convinced me the place for me to be was Everton. And I was playing at a historic club at Manchester United in and out. And he said, here's the keys to the car. You can play 40 games next year. And I went, all right, what do I sign? So if it's, if it's a room rate, I'll stay that as, as now, but, uh, I think it'll be interesting.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Well, look, there have been outspoken critics of you and I on this show, wrongfully so, but outspoken critics that will, you know, when we talk about when you go to Europe, and you're not playing, and you should be one of the better players in the US Men's National Team, a move back to the MLS makes a ton of sense for a ton of reasons.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And so we will probably be seeing this over the next 18 months in the lead up to the World Cup. And look, I'm excited for him and for the US Men's National Team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Yeah. Success. Huge success. I mean, we've been talking about January camp. We dove in in a previous episode. What does it mean? What are the takeaways? What are the hopes? You tell me. I think this was like a 10 out of 10 January camp.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
The Unfiltered Soccer Podcast is brought to you by Volkswagen, the presenting partner of U.S. Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
They're not just talking about it, they're out there doing it. VW's partnerships, programs, and soccer clinics are unlocking opportunities for the next generation of players and fans.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Thank you to VW for being our presenting partner. Learn more about how VW are supporting U.S. soccer at VW.com. There's a lot in life that feels like it should be guaranteed that just isn't. Your team winning the championship, the weather being good on game day, your friends remembering who has the tickets. Some days, you're just a goal-scoring machine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
The AT&T Guarantee means connectivity you can depend on, deals you want, and service you deserve.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Learn more at att.com forward slash guarantee. Terms and conditions apply.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
From performances, which we'll get into, from results, to the positivity that we see in the players' performances, the positivity that Pochettino is showing us in the press and the media, this feels like it couldn't have gone any better. And so, again, hats off to US Soccer, to Pochettino, and all the players. I mean, I think about, like, Diego Luna. This is how you impress your new manager.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
It's time for the Fan Connection presented by AT&T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions. The best way to grow the game of soccer in the U.S. is to keep asking questions and keep talking about the sport we all love. At AT&T, connecting changes everything. And on USLNT, our connections with you will help grow the game. Jordan, where you at?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Get on in here. You got questions for us.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Are you prepared? Are you prepared? Are they prepared? I don't know if anyone's prepared. Hey, you come at the king, don't miss.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Yes. That's great. Here's the thing. Here's the thing. We're both very well-rounded and huge sports fans. And it's funny because when you get certain personalities who play a sport, people think that they don't have opinions on other sports and they do.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Like I've got friends in the NBA and NFL and I get a lot of inside scoop on a lot of those things. So like I, and I'm a fan more than anything. So like we have an opinion, we're going to give it, but always appreciate the feedback.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
We want you to listen all the way through.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Who sent that in?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Jordan, I live the days when Bob Bradley had the world-beating Chicago Fire in 1998. I mean, they were incredible. And Bob Bradley set an amazing standard. for that city and club. So yeah, be better. And we'll, we'll, we'll, we'll get in, we'll get into it. Landon will mention the galaxy for sure. And I'll try and talk him off that, but well, they are the champions.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
You and I talked about it. Like, what are you going to do to just get into the manager's view? Like, what are you going to do? I mean, he takes an elbow to the face, breaks his nose, blood everywhere, literally pleads with the manager to stay in the game. Medical staff clears him, and then he goes back in and sets up Ryan White's goal. You know? So, like, that... I mean, again...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I like it. I mean, I think this... And we love all the feedback. And what we do on this podcast is we try and service what most everybody wants to hear. Now... your point against up and coming up and coming USL players is, is well taken. And, and certainly we can touch on that, but the fact of the matter is, you know, the most of my life was spent in England with Everton and Manchester United.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And the fact of the matter is the, the, in this Premier League is the,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
is the most successful most watched league in the world so we have to touch on that and and it's exciting and the world the world-class players and drama so um most of our fans do want to hear about that but that's certainly a really really well taken point um and finally my personal favorite last piece of feedback all caps nobody cares
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Fair enough. Ratings would say someone cares, but this person, let me guess.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I'm sure they put their name. Of course they put their name. Every review is an engagement. I'll say that a couple more times, but thank you. I do. I think the smoke is important. Good and bad feedback. So that's what makes us, that's what challenges us. So appreciate that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Or no parameters. I would say this one's pretty easy for me to get three.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I would say... Men, Mount Rushmore is Landon, Clint, myself, and four is harder for me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I tend to lean towards Claudio Reyna.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I tend to lean towards him. So that would, that would more than likely be my four bees. DeMarcus Beasley. Certainly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
In that conversation, in that conversation. But that, if you're asking me for my four, um, it's Landon, Clint, myself and Claudia.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And if we're doing women, I would say Mia, Abby. Hmm. Jeez, this gets tough now.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I feel like the women are way harder. They've been so much more successful. And you've had… Our US women have…
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
constantly been in the world's greatest player conversation year on year right like yeah we haven't we haven't earned that right as the men so like i think i think of this isn't just a goalkeeper me but like hope solo um you know she what she did on the field for the national team but like astounding um Alex Morgan. Alex Morgan. Like just so many names. Like it's really, really difficult.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Couldn't be more proud as a fan watching the game, as an analyst, as you and I analyze the game. This is perfect. I mean, the manager couldn't talk highly enough about his players. Fantastic. Well done.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Michelle Akers has to be on there. Mia has to be on. Mia Hamm has to be on there. Yeah. Carly. Yeah. I mean, Carly for sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely. For sure. I think if Christian Pulisic even, yeah, if he even just rides out the rest of his career doing what he's doing now, he's on Russia. But then who does he replace? You're looking at him, pal. I'm looking directly at him. He's in San Diego right now. Right at him. That little golden cat behind you. Big forehead right there. Good conversation. Love that question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I'm uncomfortable right now.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
LD, bloody heck, I have seen you so many times recently.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Communication is key. I mean, you just hit the nail on the head. So often in a team, in any business or even family, but in a team, the lack of communication, when it all gets said and done, you're like, wait a minute, we do want the same things. It's crazy. It's crazy. Great story.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Yeah, that's a good question about the eligibility. I'm going to lean on one of our other producers in the chat to tell me that. But the interesting part about it is I was in studio during that game, and I remember... coming away from it thinking this kid's really good. Like he has, he, based on the background, he hadn't played a lot of football, you know, for, for being, I think he's 25.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
He hadn't played a lot of first team football, like at all, not even at Spurs, like just hadn't been on loan or like normally like a younger keeper who's maybe third or fourth, um, we'll go on loan. Um, and it does, it does look like he's eligible. Um, And they'll get games at a lower division. I think he went to Orlando at one point and played a bit.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
But irregardless of that, steps in with no sort of notice, plays in the Premier League. And I remember thinking, wow, he's given a really good account of himself. His movement, his saves, his aerial ability, distribution, all in this 90-minute snippet. I mean it. I'd be shocked even given Pochettino Spurs connections. He must certainly be on the radar, but time will tell.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Annie.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Yeah. I think my history with the rivalry dates back to being a young kid and being a fan. And watching our men's national team in 1989, I remember Paul Calgary's goal in Trinidad. Grainy TV. I either watched it or watched some sort of VHS replay of it. And... Those U.S. teams were my heroes, and they got steamrolled. Everywhere they went, they got steamrolled.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And Mexico, they weren't just the best. They were a dominant beast in the CONCACAF region. We couldn't touch them. We couldn't touch them tactically. We couldn't touch them technically. They were so superior to us. Their football IQ was... another world. We, we, we couldn't, we couldn't touch them. And then, and then late into, you know, I'm thinking of Claudia Reina wearing a captain's armband.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I'm thinking like Fox ball. I'm thinking of different games, but like we started to, we started to punch above our weight a little bit and we started to not be dominant, but leaving a foot in the door and feeling like we, we can win some games. And so my, so my, Love for that rivalry started early on as a young soccer player and as a fan.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And then when you're immersed into it, if you are me or if you're Landon, you realize playing for your national team is amazing. That first U.S.-Mexico game, you'll never forget because you remember thinking, we have to win this game. this is how we'll be measured. And I grew to hate the Mexican team and the players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And I needed to put myself in that headspace in order to compete because that game was nasty. They would leave something on you. They would be nasty and physical. And what you realize is they felt us coming. They felt us gaining an advantage and they didn't like that. And when you're the best, which Mexico was for a long time, you don't like that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And so they tried everything to subdue our progress, which is natural. And in the time that I started my national team career and finished it, the US became the dominant team in the region. And that balance of power shifted and they didn't like it. And I think what I learned
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
probably towards the back end of my career is in order in sports in order to hate something so much you lose sight of the fact of how much respect you have for them and I I was able to get myself to a place on the surface that I hated playing Mexico so much and I hated the I made myself hate them and their fans and their players and
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And then when I took a step back, I realized it's because I had so much respect for who they were, for the way they wore the green jersey, for the way the fans supported their team. And I love it. I'm getting goosebumps now thinking about playing in Columbus, playing in Azteca. I mean, there is nothing, and I'll speak for Landon on this, there is nothing you can do in life that gives you
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
That gives you that feeling, that, that, that fear, that anxiety, that joy, that pain, nothing, nothing. I mean, it was, um, you know, there's famous memes of me crying after, after a Mexico loss. That's how much it meant to me. Um, they should have memes about all the times I whipped up on that, but, but, um, it brought me, it brought me incredible joy as well. So, um, yeah, it's a special one.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I usually don't enjoy that. But we've been knocking out a bunch of episodes recently, giving the fans what they want.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Yeah, really thoughtful answer. I'm on, you know, I think mental health is important. I went through a long stretch where I didn't, believe in using a sports psychologist and I never did. I respected certain sports psychologists that worked within our team and our framework. And I was a part of group meetings, but I would never go to a sports psychologist.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I just went to a dark place and I don't think that that's healthy, but it made me successful. And so there's a balance. And if I could do it all over again, uh, my career, I would probably, um, I would probably do it the same way. I, I, again, I, in order to perform at the level that I did and to, uh, hear the criticism and block it out. I had to turn into somebody different.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Pause for a second because you bring up a good point. This is not for this episode, but God, we need more players like that in America. Amen, dude. We do. Our players, because of the youth system, which we continue to promise we'll get into, our players are so pampered. My daughter, God bless her, she is the most amazing little girl in the world. She knows. Get up. Don't matter. Get up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I had to disassociate. And I, and, and I went to, I went to, you know, mentally a lot of dark places to get myself on the field. I don't mean dangerous. Well, I don't mean dangerous, harmful places per se. I just had to, I lost a lot of friends. I blocked a lot of people out, lost a lot of, a lot of family. And, and, um, but, but it, it's, it hardens you and LD, you said it right. Like it's,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
it's a balance because a lot of that does create resilience. And I know, I know 1000% I was more successful in my career because I had that mentality. And look, I think the mental health side of society has gotten, has gotten better in terms of help and the ability to have the conversation openly. And that's crept into sports, which is a, which is a wonderful thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
You know, I, this is, this isn't right or wrong. I oftentimes say, If we looked at the best team in the Premier League or best team in MLS and you had a player who in certain moments wasn't necessarily always available mentally in the big moments when you know that there's going to be 50,000 people and you're going through a tough spell.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
that manager might say, Hey, please go, you know, absolutely go speak to the psychologist and take the time you need, but I'm not picking you. I can't pick you. And that's, that, that sucks to hear, but that's also, that's also a part of the conversation. So I think there needs to be resources at clubs and there are that help players get through challenges.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
But yeah, when, when push comes to shove, it is, it is about, And Landon, you hit the nail on the head. This isn't, for the faint of heart, like sports, when we sign up for it, that part of it is they ask us to deal with it. They ask Landon to deal with it. No one ever says to the press, I want you to stop writing bad stuff about Tim Howard. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
They don't like, they don't, they don't regulate that. Right. Cause the press is freedom to do that. They say Tim Howard deal with it. Right. So if you're going to want to become a professional athlete, we had this question, I think in a mailbag a few weeks ago, like if you want to become a professional athlete at that level, it's daunting and it's scary and it's not going to change. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And so you have to try and look after your mental health, but that can be done in a multitude of ways.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Yeah, I've got quite a few. I think I swapped one with... I, like you, was, I love the tradition that soccer started hundreds of years ago about swapping jerseys as a sign of respect. I swapped with Wayne Rooney in the World Cup, which was pretty awesome because he was an Evertonian. I played with him at Manchester United. And so that was cool.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
When all these other parents are going, referee, that's a purple card or a yellow card or a red card. Get up. Get up. The next time someone hits the ground, it ain't you. And she's tough as nails. And this isn't about my daughter, but it's about young...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
You know, I swapped with, I think, Clint Dempsey when he was at Spurs. I swapped with Carlos Bocanegra, who's one of my best friends, when he was at Fulham. So, yeah, the American guys, particularly over in the Premier League when we were playing, was awesome. Was fun, but yeah, certainly Rooney's is up there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
You know what? My first car.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
you know you know people are like wrap their cars now ld where like they'll get a matte finish yeah well i had a 1984 nissan sentra and it had a matte finish but it wasn't a wrap it was like that was the color it was gray my dad uh my my dad got it for me um i think he paid like 800 bucks for it seriously 800 bucks for it stick shift no one knows how to drive stick shift anymore it was amazing that was absolutely amazing my only memories are like getting locked out of it because i didn't have there was no remote key it was just like
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
somehow figure out how to get a hanger in the door and unlock it. That was about it. That's so ghetto. Yeah. That's where I lived.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
athletes soccer players being tough as nails you need it and they're pampered in this country so well done to him it's really good to see him and look i think on the game when you do the job you're asked to do you give yourself a chance like if you're a striker score the goals that's right if you're a goalkeeper keep a clean sheet if you're a defender head it and kick it connect passes like do what you're asked to do and you'll have you'll have an opportunity um you know i think of um
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Follow up. What's the first car you bought yourself?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
What about you? Yeah. Eddie Bauer edition Ford Explorer two-door. It was gorgeous. It was awesome. Amazing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Yeah, thanks, everyone, so much. Always enjoy our time with you. Thank you so much to our presenting sponsor, VW, and our fan connection sponsor, AT&T. Have an amazing week. We'll see you all next Tuesday for another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Ajumeng, Patrick Ajumeng, he's gotten, gets put in the game, gets a goal, right? Gets put on late, gets a goal.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Yeah, two and two. So by the way, is he going to start in the World Cup? I think the odds are against him, but you know what he does? He gives himself a really good opportunity because what he has, as you know, we hate these individual meetings. No matter what they say to him, he could say, okay, I'm going to work on it. But by the way, when you put me in, I score.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
We see this with Ricardo Pepe, which I love. I in a sub put me in a score. So players really put themselves in a good place. And you know what it does LD, it gives them an opportunity. To compete with the best, right? This isn't the A-team. Well, some players are, but this isn't the A-team for the U.S. men. But what it does do is it gets them into an A-team camp.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And now they can compete and show themselves.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Yep.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Zach was brilliant last night, man of the match. It's interesting because Pochettino is showing me what I think I already knew is he's not lazy when it comes to player selection. In this country, we get lazy. I see it. You see it at every level. A guy has a falling out with another coach and then the next coach comes in and just kind of follows suit. I've said all along, the U.S.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
You know what's funny, LD? I love how much we talk about the US Men's National Team because it's what everybody wants to hear. And so the challenge of always making sure that we're getting up-to-date episodes after every US Men's National Team game is fun and challenging and looking forward to this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
has one and a half top-level international goalkeepers. If Matt Turner and Zach Steffen are both playing at the highest possible level they can compete at, then we have two. That's it. We've got some good goalkeepers in the pipeline, sure, but none that can start in a World Cup, plain and simple. And for me, I've always said Zach Steffen in his toolbox possesses more talent than any U.S.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
goalkeeper in the history of the U.S. men's national team. Putting that all together is the challenge for any goalkeeper. And I just love, LD, that Pochettino gave him an opportunity. He took the opportunity. And when I start to look at... things that Pochettino said, it speaks to Zach being in that window. He's going to get opportunities. Look, I do. I think Matt Turner's very good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
He's not playing. What happens between now and the World Cup, I think he'll have to make decisions that will impact his international future. But, Zach, when you talk to the goalkeeper coach at Man City under Pep, And I've said this before. He talks about goalkeepers playing big and playing small. Right? Zach Steffen, he said, plays big. He naturally does things that keeps his team in the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And Pochettino said that. I feel like we can trust him. He made big saves. Amazing saves. And I think that's what Zach does. You know, I even think about the... the minutiae of goalkeeping, right? They want to play. You saw they take the ball at the back. They play to the goalkeeper. They play through the center backs. They take risks.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
There were moments where I'm watching the game and teams overpass. There were moments where I thought to myself, this ball's coming back to him. I see angles. He's getting closed down. He's probably going to be asked to play another pass. And he made a bold decision. And he said, I'm putting my foot through it. We're going to move our lines.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
That might not be the perfect pass that the manager wants, but I'm going to play mistake-free football. I thought it was a fantastic performance. When I speak to Chris Sharp at Colorado, his goalkeeper coach, he says he's in a great place. His training has been good. He speaks to him every day. This performance doesn't surprise me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Listen, I mean, one caveat to end the goalkeeping part. I think I know a lot about goalkeeping, but there's a lot of people who continually beat me over the head and they try and tell me, no, you have to be good with the goalkeeper. And you just heard it from a genius in football terms, Pochettino. Keep the ball out of the net. Yes, connect passes when it needs to. Keep the ball out of the net.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Because there's a lot of goalkeepers that I see today who are brilliant footballers, but they might as well have their gloves on the other hand because they couldn't save a stamp. So, yeah, end of story. Pochettino said it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Yeah, we did.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
And what did he say?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
He's a genius. Thank you. But no, I thought the same thing. I have a feeling. that after the 2026 World Cup, Poch is going to have, at a minimum, two favorite players to displace us. But, because he's got some fantastic players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
So you're out. I'm still in.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I'm proud. And I think we have to say there's a lot of things broken on the machine that is soccer in America, but we got to give credit all the time when great things happen. You're right. I just remember thinking like, when a guy would play in Champions League, right? And you're talking about Claudia Reina played and Bees was playing. And it was like, oh my God, it's amazing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
It was such a novelty. It was Christmas morning. One of our guys was playing. And now, like, it's old hat for these guys. 34 appearances by American players. 34 starts. Incredible. Starts. I mean, to those players who are starting in...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
playing in champions league like hats off to you man what what an incredible achievement and by the way for it to the greatest compliment we could give to american soccer is that yeah you you want it you're going to turn on champions league midweek and you're going to see a u.s player and that's just normal like holy hell how did that that's awesome yeah so for celtic let's dive in a little deeper so cameron carter vickers and austin trusty were the center back pairing yeah
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
Wait, I think I wrote that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
There's an argument. Yeah. As you, as you mentioned, football is about partnerships all over the pitch. Like how do you link up with the striker, the midfield, the six and the eight, the two center backs, the wing backs pulling in. It's always about partnerships left and right side. And what I would say is yes, this helps Carter Vickers and trustee.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna Goes Hard, Zack Steffen's Clean Sheet, USMNT's Centerback Pairing & An Extended Mailbag
I would be shocked because in today's coaching, nothing, nothing gets past you. I would be shocked if in the upcoming games, I don't know when I can't name the game that if, if CCV and Austin trustee aren't partnered together in the center of the U S defense, because I think pot Pochettino will, we'll go, well, I see it there. I want to see here.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And, and now you want to, you know, they lose seven or eight or nine in a row and you want to fire them. All right. You got the, to the tune of 40, 45, $50 million to pay. Right. He's not an idiot. He knows. And he knows they're going to go through a little patch and whatever, and they will be fine longterm.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
But in my opinion, and you know, maybe you disagree. I think the title race is over. I can't see them now. It's 11 points, is it, today?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
If they lose, then it's 11. I mean, I don't know how... Liverpool just look too... They look too powerful to give up that many points.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I was going to say privately.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
It was good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
You change your mind then?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Was it? Awesome.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
All right. We'll follow up after next weekend and we'll see where we're at. All right. Let's move to the other team in Manchester. United under Ruben Amorin for the first time. So they score after whatever. However many seconds. Yeah. Less than a... Under two minutes or something. Under two minutes into the game. Yeah. But from that point on, I would say not real inspiring.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I just want to, for United fans out there, take a deep breath. This is going to take so much time. And I'll tell you why, Tim. So I watched the game and I was curious why his lineup was the way he was. It was a pretty old, mature, seasoned lineup, right? And he came out after. Yeah, not his best.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And he came out after and said, look, I went with the guys who were here with me all week, not away on international break. Totally get it. But The reason Manchester United signed him and brought him on board was because of what he did in Portugal. And what he did in Portugal took a long time. It takes time to develop a way of playing. And so I'm going to have a little dig at your...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
your commentators on NBC. I was waiting for them to walk us through what exactly they did, besides saying they're in a 3-4-3. Okay, I can see that with my own eyes. Can you tell me what's going on in the field? And what I found interesting is, so first, just positionally where they lined up. Mazzarelli played as a right center back. Diego Dalo as a kind of a left center back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
They were almost like double width with he and Garnaccio there on the left. And there were some moments where Dalo would start really high and come down to receive the ball. And it made it tough because Ipswich were basically pressing man to man.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
So Rashford, you can see why this will help Marcus Rashford long term if teams come after them because he gets isolated kind of 1v1 or he can run in to out and run in behind defenses. But their problem early is going to be personnel. He does not have the players that fit the way he wants to play. So I wouldn't be surprised if Mainu comes in, Mason Mount comes in.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I mean, Luke Shaw is a left center back I really like. So he needs players. Xerxe, I think, will help. But I think personnel right now is going to be the biggest issue. But if you're a Manchester United fan, just take a breath. This is going to take time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
He's right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Curious what you guys think. Is the title race over? You happy with the direction United's going in, even after a kind of lackluster first game? I actually, I personally like it. I like the ideas. Personnel is going to be a big deal. But is the title race over? I think it is. Tim, maybe not so sure, but we'll see. Let's take a quick break. When we come back, we'll talk U.S. men's national team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
But yes, we will talk about... Christian's dance from a unique angle, I think, that we are uniquely qualified to talk about right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim presented by Volkswagen. We'll be right back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Yeah, look, we don't want to beat a dead horse, but this is important. And it all happened really fresh last week. So he scores a goal against Jamaica. He runs to the corner, does the Trump dance that's become popular in sports culture. And I just want to say, look, this is not, it is about politics, but it's not about politics for me right now.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
This is about being a leader and being a captain of a U.S. national team. I want to take people back, and you remember this, Tim. 2004, February 2004, I'm in Olympic qualifying. You dealt with it with the men's national team. I'm in Olympic qualifying. And we're in Mexico playing a semifinal game. And Mexican fans are there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And this was after 9-11 and after we had then started going after Osama bin Laden.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And fans throughout the stadium, as we were losing to Mexico, were chanting, Osama, Osama, Osama, okay? And this was one of the most tragic days in the history of the United States, right? September 11, 2001. And first of all, you're losing a game that you care about. You're not qualifying for the Olympics. But on top of that, they're just throwing that in your face, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And guess who was the captain of that team? Me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I cannot tell you how many things I wanted to say after the game. I cannot tell you what I wanted to do in that moment, go into the stands and just go off on people. I understood In a hard moment, that was not the right thing to do. Okay, now I'm not saying this is exactly apples to apples. What I'm saying is Christian doesn't have to be, in my opinion, does not have to be a role model.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I like my professional athletes to be role models, but I get it, right? Everyone has their own thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
he does however need he needs to be aware of what his actions do and so you said this great in your your column that you wrote for the daily mail you said and you've said this to me many times and i really respect this you say if you're going to be whatever you're going to be no problem just own it
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
just own it so if you're going to do the dance one make sure you know what you're doing two if you're going to do it you better be all in because you're going to cause a stir with this right but then don't come to the podium after the game and say oh i didn't really know what i was doing it was just a cool dance i saw people like that doesn't cut it for me right that's not okay if you say look
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I believe Trump was the best candidate and I voted for him and I'm supporting him. Fine. No problem. That's your prerogative. You can do what you want. Just like we talked about with Joey Bosa and others who are, you know, showing their Make America Great Again hat and then going to the press conference and saying, oh, no, no, it wasn't political or I'm not taking questions about that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Come on, girl. Don't do that. So again, this is not about, in that way, it's not about politics. It's about being aware of your situation. Guess what's coming in 18 months to the US? The World Cup. You do something like that on the stage where hundreds of millions of people are watching, you could have a real impact in the world.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Like, I'm getting goosebumps talking about it, but you got to be careful. And I'm not saying he will, and this is a learning lesson for him, and I'm sure he has learned from it because he's a really bright kid and he's a nice young man. But you got to be careful.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Listen, and that's well said too. By the way, if I don't agree with some things you say, I'm going to tell you. So I liked what you wrote in the mail. This is not some love session we do here. We're honest with each other, which is what I've always respected about us. This is something he needs to learn from. I am curious, and I think I know the answer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I don't think this could have played well with every one of his teammates in both the national team locker room and for AC Milan, right? And that's another part of it. When you do things that are controversial, when I took a break in 2013 from the national team during a qualifier, I damn well knew that some guys are going to say, hey, what's going on here, pal?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I have to say, just watching the games over the weekend, it's just fun to watch. First of all, there were derbies, like real derbies in the playoffs, which make it amazing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
So the point is, and I think we're on the same page here, it's okay. You can do it. You do what you want. You live your life however you want. But don't back away from it. And, you know, just be a man and own it. Totally. And that's okay. So to that point, he then... I mean, we can say benched. He was benched on the weekend by Paulo Fonseca at Milan. And the public line was, you know, he had...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
some issues going on and he came from Paul Fonseca said he came from the national team with a problem yesterday and today we tried, but he wasn't well, I couldn't let him play more. So if he's injured, you're not playing him. You're not risking him. He still played 20 minutes. Um, I I'm, I'm not saying there was something behind this, but I am a little curious now, like, okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Was something talked about? Was this just simply a soccer decision? I don't know, but it seems a little weird that you would bench your best player in a massive game against a huge rival when you're trying to get into Europe.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
every seat in every stadium is is is full um at least in the the stadiums where their mls teams yeah play normally and it was it was just really fun to watch um also really fun to watch the uh the stepsister redheaded stepchild in la get uh get taken to task by seattle i don't like either team for the record i had a lot of fun wins in seattle
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
All right. On the better side of things, Ricardo Pepe. went back to his club and played, wasn't benched, banged in a hat trick. I loved his quote after he said, you know, people were asking him. He was out, I think, because DeJong was, or he played because DeJong was out. And, you know, you think you're going to start the next game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And he said, well, usually when you score a hat trick, you start the next game. But we'll see what happens. There are reports of him making a move in 2025. One, do you think he should? And two, where do you think he should go?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
All right. Well, you know my answer. Go where you are going to play. You've got 18 months ahead of the World Cup. It is the only thing that matters. If I'm him, I would be a little skeptical right now if PSV says, look, you're scoring. You're great. You're going to start because five games without a goal and next thing you know, he's on the bench again.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
He's got to be smart and strategic and all of our national team players right now, no matter where you are, you need to be really clever in the next few months before the window, the next six to seven months before that window, and then definitely leading into 2026. You have to be playing. I mean, that is crucial. U.S. will face Panama. We didn't know that last time we were on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
They will face Panama in Nations League in March. And Mexico did not have to wait for a special exemption. They beat Honduras on their own, and they will go through and play Canada. That should be a great game, too. So looking forward to those two in March. Should be a lot of fun. All right, we'll take another break. When we get back, we will go to the mailbag.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I'm sure there, well, I'm not, I'm sure there definitely were lots of comments. Hundreds on the YouTube page. I read through a bunch of them. Some good, some not great. Lots of interesting insight. Lots of interesting takes from people. Lots of questions. So we'll answer some of your mailbag questions. And then we will finish with anything but soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
One of our favorite segments here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim presented by Volkswagen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
It's just good to see them on the back of that. We saw the galaxy absolutely dismantle Minnesota. And I watched that game closely, Tim. I was thinking something put you on the spot here. Can you remember that? an MLS team that had a better front four in their prime than the Galaxy right now between Ricky Pudge, Jovalich, Peck, and Paintsil.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Incredible. And what Sub Hines in Orlando did all year was incredible. I, coaching the Wave for the last few months of this season, didn't have the chance to play against Orlando, but got to play in Kansas City. That stadium, Tim, is phenomenal. And it's Honestly, it's what every MLS team needed 10 to 15 years ago. I think it held 11,000 people, every seat full, chance.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
They know every player's name. They love that team. It's a shame Kansas City weren't in it, but Orlando were phenomenal. Marta, look, It's weird when you have players still playing that we're paralleling our careers when we were playing. I remember Marta 20 years ago about being the best player in the world. So incredible for them to go start to finish, win the Shield.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I think they only lost one game, and that was a game, I believe it was in Portland or in Seattle. And Seb Hines just rested all his players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And so they would have won that game too. They wouldn't have lost all season. And so phenomenal year. They deserve it. And congrats to Washington Spirit too for getting there. Yeah, totally. And then obviously... You saw the news about Michelle Kang and pledging $30 million to USSF for women's and girls' programs. She is a superstar, by the way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
She has put all her eggs into the women's soccer basket, and it's really impressive what she's done.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Yeah, that's crucial.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Yeah. I have a six-year-old daughter too. We were just on vacation with her this week and her getting to spend time around some of the wave players and watch the games and just watching. She now loves soccer, loves it. And so people like Michelle Kang doing what they do, you know who she is, Tim? She is the equivalent of
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Someone that I had the pleasure of playing for at the LA Galaxy, Phil Anschutz. And he was understated quite literally by himself, kept Major League Soccer alive decades ago when the league was on the verge of folding. An absolute legend in the game, and she is well on her way to doing the same for women's soccer. So thank you from all of us, Michelle King, and long may it continue.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
All right, let's tap into mailbag questions. I am sure, Jordan... They are going to be very interesting after a lot of interesting comments we had last week.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Floor is yours.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I was racking my brain all week and I'm like, has anybody been better? There might have been two, maybe three players better, but four.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
You know, he's a small player. So the fact that someone of that stature matched me, it's not that relevant. Like someone sent me a text And I believe this or not, you guys, but I had no idea that was going on. But someone sent me a text and said, wow, what an amazing tweet. And I opened it and it was like a so stupid. It's a picture of me and messy. And it was something like tied on 58 assists.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I'm like, this is an absolute joke. But I screenshotted the hell out of that thing. I'm plastering everywhere. Um, congrats to him. I have no idea why, uh, it took him that long. Um, cause he probably really had more.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I think it's cause they used to give me those hockey assists back in the day where you like, if you touch it, if you pass it 50 yards and a guy dribbles eight guys and then rolls it across the goal, I would still get an assist. So anyway, I appreciate that. Why?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Yeah. Yeah. He actually had a few more goals than me, but, uh, No, it's pretty sweet. But please don't get another one messy. Let's long forever be tied.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Okay, that's juicy. So he's saying that their national team environment is not good, and so they should push back on going? Yes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Okay. So that's certainly not the case with England. Right. Um, cause that environment is great, but I know Tim and you can speak to this too. I know lots of players who would say it was the opposite of what we talked about last week. We loved going into camp. Standards were high, got to stay in great places, great fields, got to go out, have dinners, whatever.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
But there are lots that it's a joke when they go back to their national team, like the environment's bad. They train on bad fields. They stay in terrible hotels. They fly economy across the globe. And yeah, it's a really good point. The problem is, is federations are bound by their resources, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And so for the longest time, and actually still to this day, speaking of Canada, they just don't have a lot of resources. I mean, it's just the reality. So they have to pick and choose what they can spend their money on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Yeah, I mean, it's a good point. And that has happened a lot over the years. There have been camps where you play in Poland and then Germany, play in Switzerland and Sweden. But I think it still holds true what we said last week is most of these teams are either in qualifying or they're playing in Nations League. So it's still going to be a challenge. The idea is right. I don't mind that at all.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Um, but it's still going to be a challenge to him because they, they're not, all those teams are already tied up in, in FIFA, in real FIFA games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Well, I went on a little vacation to Cabo. It's a tough life. Someone's got to live it. You were working all weekend, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Bob used to always say before every camp, every camp in Europe, he'd say, look, look, guys, look. When everybody, he would say opens the paper tomorrow because people used to read the paper. When everybody opens the paper tomorrow, they want to see the US beat someone big. All right? He would say it every time. I'd say, okay, Bob. Good. It's a friendly. It's a friendly. Look. Every time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And they know, by the way, they know they're going to concede chances, concede goals and whatever. And they're like, if you score three, we'll score four. You score five, we'll score six. And they just don't care. Man, they were good. But Sounders, by the way, the Sounders are... Their last, I don't know if it's 17, 18, 20 games. I think they've lost once maybe. They are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Oh, you're going to have a lot more than me. Do you have one off the top of your head?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I'm getting goosebumps. Jesus. All right, let me start. So my last game ever at Goodison, or maybe it was the first stint, we played Hull. I believe Hull was in the Premier League. Yeah, I do. And I'll never forget this because before the game, we were on a decent run of form, and Moyes in the locker room said, guys, it's about time we win one of these games, like 3-4-5-0.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Let's stop squeaking through these games. So we play the game. It's late in the game, and we're up. four nil or four one and Layton Baines crossed the ball. It skipped through to me and I hit like the perfect little half volley into the side netting. And it was either Fizz, Phil Neville or Rodwell or someone picked me up and the whole crowd was chowning USA, USA, USA.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And I knew it was my last, like we all knew it was my last game and it was just, it, A feeling like that as a soccer player is why people struggle when they stop playing. Because you cannot replicate that ever again in your life. Having kids is amazing. Marriage is amazing. All these things you do. But nothing replicates a moment like that. And I will never, ever forget it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
They just seem, for whatever reason, they're like the Chiefs right now. They can mess up and do everything wrong and they just win. So that game next weekend is going to be phenomenal.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
All right. Thanks, JR. All right, Timmy. Anything but soccer. What do you got for us this week?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And when I'm...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Let's have some real home truths.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Okay, so let me start.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I mean, well, I guess it is unwritten. But how the hell this gets leaked is crazy, first of all. Second of all, When you're having a players-only meeting, that means there's dysfunction. Like, there's some bad stuff going on, right? Somewhere in the club or with the team, whatever. When someone leaks it, exponentially worse. I mean, it is, first of all, it's so disrespectful.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I don't care how pissed you are, how upset you are. You have a players-only meeting. It stays right there. By the way, guess who's not in the players-only meeting? Coaches, staff, nobody. It's just players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Right. So it's like, and by the way, A basketball team has 12 players, maybe 15. It's tiny. So it's disgusting. First of all, it gets leaked. But it just tells you the state that that team is in is really bad, Tim. Like, really bad. And I don't blame Joel Embiid right now, first of all. He's on a mission to go find out who leaked it. As you should. I think I have a few ideas. Yeah. But...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
The other side of it is I do blame him in part for the team getting to this point. Totally. If you're the lead, we just talked a long time about Christian Pulisic and being a leader and what that means. Showing up late for everything, the first thing you should be able to do is show up on time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Just show up on time, dude. It's not that hard. Show up on time. That's a starting point. All the other stuff, I don't know. We don't have context. We don't know if he's hurt, if he's not, why he's playing, why he's resting. But dude, you got to show up on time. That's a starting point.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Piece together the lineup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
So look, I went, I spent a lot of years in therapy when I was living in LA. Seven years, like almost every week. And here's what happened because let's be honest, this is a therapy session, right? When you have a players only meeting, some people are more honest than others, but some people just let it go and it's good. To some extent.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
But what happens is, so you go to therapy, you talk for an hour and a half, some bombs come up, some things happen that you never thought about. You're like, oh my God, I can't believe I felt that way about my dad and my mom and this and that. And then you go, okay, I feel better. I let it out. But guess what happens when you go home and two or three days later you go,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
oh, wait, but what about that? And what about that? And wait, but then my mom said that and my dad did that. And so what you do is a few days later, you go, oh, you know, when that, my left winger said that about me not tracking back, but then what did that mean?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
So what you need is then you need some level of either individual follow-up or collectively, like you actually work through the problems. And now the problem with the Sixers is, Now there's a leak. So now everyone, nobody trusts anybody now. It's a bigger problem. It's a bigger problem. So to your point, there was a trap door and they all fell through it. Right. And now it's a big problem, man.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
It's going to be fun for us. Cause I don't have a dog in the fight, not a Sixers fan, but like, it's going to be really fun to watch as this progresses because it's going to be a total dumpster fire. Yeah. I don't see how it gets any better. So. All right, man. Well, appreciate it. Appreciate the time, Timmy. Everybody, thanks for listening. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks for watching.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Please leave your comments, questions again so we can get to them in the mailbag next week. Remember to subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your pods, and follow the show across all our social media platforms at Unfiltered Soccer for lots of bonus content.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
That sums us up. Yeah, well, you know, someone's got to work around here and someone has to enjoy it. How was vacation? It was nice, man. Getaway, Cabo's an amazing place. Wow. I love that play. It's so close to San Diego. For you guys, it's, I don't know, I guess it's the New York Caribbean or something, but like it's an hour and a half for us. So it's so nice. Just get away, relax.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And, yeah, that game's going to be awesome next weekend. Sunday, Orlando beat Atlanta. I think it's what we predicted, Tim. Atlanta just flat after that emotional, super emotional high three-game series with Miami. I think we predicted this one. And Orlando, kind of comfortable.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Yeah. I'm not sure the league is super thrilled with Orlando Red Bull, but on the other end, Galaxy Seattle should be a lot of fun. The team Atlanta knocked out made a very, very fast and interesting decision.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Apparently, Tata Martino made the decision. I think we all know who really made the decision. Who might that be? Yeah, maybe one of the players. But he's out as a manager. Usually, I say to him, when a manager says he's stepping away or she's stepping away, that means the club pushed you out, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I will say, someone as experienced and older in age like Tata Martino, I could see a scenario where he said, I truly just need to step away for a while. However… That all changed when all these Mascherano links came up. Yeah, because if he steps away and you have a decision the next day, guess what? That decision was being made for months and months ahead of time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
So I think it's pretty clear what happened here. Leo and whoever said, look, it's been great, but if we don't win it, this is what's going to happen. He's going to resign and we're bringing in our boy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I'm okay with that. Let me give you the problem with that. So in 2011, I'm going to take you behind the scenes a little bit. You were probably involved in some of these too. So 2011... Bob Bradley gets fired, right? And behind the scenes, there are conversations being had with a few of us players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And it's nice to be nice to be there, but nice to be home. All right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
I was 29 at the time saying, hey, what do you think about this potential manager, this potential manager? And one of those was Juergen Klinsmann. And all of us at the time, not all of us, I'm speaking for myself, but a few of us said, oh my God, it's Juergen Klinsmann. Legend, absolute legend, soccer player. So we said, yeah, that would be amazing. Having no clue, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And to be fair, I was much younger, less experienced than Lionel Messi making a decision like that or giving input like that. But it turned out to be a total disaster for U.S. soccer and for everyone involved. So that's the challenge and the danger with that. Like, yeah, is he boys with Mascherano? Yeah, does it seem exciting and great and whatever?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
But what happens the first time they lose three in a row?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And now all of a sudden there's real...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Yeah, I mean, look, Jorge Mas, who ultimately made this decision, I'm sure David Beckham had input in it, and Messi, right? They're all smart, right, about the way they went about it, right? So Messi didn't go in and bang on his door and say, we have to hire Mascherano. He probably said, hey, you know who'd be an interesting one? And Jorge Mas probably said, oh, that is interesting, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Like, wink, wink, nod, nod. And again, we don't have all the context, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Again, none of these guys are getting any younger. Busquets, Jordi Alba, Messi, Suarez, so... Let's hope it goes well. It's great for the league when everyone, when Miami's doing well and they're all playing well, et cetera. So let's hope it goes well.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
All right, those matchups are next weekend MLS matchups. Let's move on to your other day job, Tim, the Premier League. You watched a lot of games this weekend. The biggest one, Spurs, absolutely pummeled City.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
All right. So we are going to start with MLS. And in a little bit, we got... U.S. national team. We're going to talk about that Pulisic dance a little bit more. We don't want to beat a dead horse, but some time to think about it. A lot of Premier League talk. But first, you were at, I guess it was City's home game. So whatever that's called, that stadium. And Red Bull... City, how was it?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
Like, that's not what we- Dude, Timo Werner ran by him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
And I was like, what?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
One of the things that I think people don't realize about dominant teams or teams that are at the very top is the margins, even at the top, are still very thin. Very thin. They still have world-class players all over the field.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
One of the takeaways, obviously injuries has been a theme and Pep went on a big rant about all the things that are going wrong or that people think are going wrong and why they are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Liverpool Lead Manchester City, Messi Steers Miami, and MLS Conference Finals Preview
when you play this many games over this many seasons with the same players over and over and they're playing for their national teams eventually you're going to get a stretch where there's a bunch of guys out and they're just going through it and i'll tell you what though like for people who are saying like Pep's lost a step or he's not smart.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah. I mean, look, you hit the nail on the head with the Walker Zimmerman thing. You and I are two old guys who have the number one soccer podcast in America. That's fine. But guess what? Walker Zimmerman was in the trenches. When we start talking about like, hey, this is what I think, but I don't know what's happened on the inside.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Walker Zimmerman just told us, not just a couple months ago, told us what's happened on the inside. Now, he's not a part of really the setup anymore, but these are the same guys who he was in the dressing room with. And so that was a direct hit. He didn't have to say that, by the way. There was a whole bunch of other avenues he could have went with Sam Borden about the young players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
But he took the opportunity to take a stand and leave a little bit of a marker on with these guys. And so, look, that obviously is cause for concern. I think it needs to happen soon. What I would say about the Gold Cup is I would even take your point. I would even go the other way, and here's why. I look at the lineups, and we'll get to the lineups of the Panama game and the Canada game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
We're not good enough, Landon. We've never been good enough. And I don't see a time in the future where we will be good enough to not constantly play your best players. And you know what? When you need to give a, I hate using this, like a throwaway cap, or I need to see a guy to see if he can perform at this level. You do that after you've had a successful run of like six, seven games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Okay, now this feels like a lesser opponent. We'll plop a few guys in. We'll chop and change. But they don't get that right. The best, you should have your best 11 available. Okay, Anthony Robinson's example wasn't there. Serginio Dest, not there. No problem. But your best current 11? should be playing back-to-back-to-back-to-back games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Like, the best 11, there shouldn't have been as many changes. I'm questioning the manager. He might have other reasons. He might have needed to see players. I'm simply saying we're not good enough to do that. We've got to figure, like, our goal cup should be our best 11-13 players. Everybody else, go sit over there. I'll let you know when it's time for, okay, we're up 4-0. Here's five minutes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Like, We don't have any time. We don't have any time. And I was worried about this going into the last World Cup. I remember saying, our best players have not played together, whether that be through injury or the club versus country. They haven't played. So you get into a World Cup and your best players haven't played together. This is an issue.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
This is an issue because I said, once the Gold Cup comes, there's no more measuring stick. There's no more opportunity to get the guys together and go, huh, I wonder how a group of our best players are going to perform in a tournament. Because normally you'd have Gold Cup, then you'd have World Cup qualifying. We don't have it. It's a broken record.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
So if that doesn't happen, and I know you said about omissions, and I get sending a message, I almost think it's too late to send a message. We don't have the time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Maybe. But I've said to you in the past, and I've been very open with this publicly. In America… Our best 13 players are our best 13 players. That's it. If they're not performing, if they don't care, if the crest doesn't mean anything, fine. Put somebody else in, but they're not up to standard.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Now, when you go to Holland, or you go to Spain, or you go to Brazil, and you go, oh, this guy's chucked it in. No problem, because I got a striker. Yeah, he won't play again. I got a striker at Liverpool who's banging goals and knocking down the door. Fine. We don't have that. I've said this all along. Our best 13 players... That's it. There's a massive decline after you get past that. There is.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
So like... Yeah, I guess you can send a message and you can play guys who care more. But you're going to lose something somewhere. And I just... Yeah, it worries me. It worries me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah, yeah. I mean, look, I know you're going to take us to break in a second, but look, let me just finish on this. You pointed out the person you spoke to today, the U.S. identity. There are so many coaches in this country who are a bunch of jokers who continue to tell me, you know, we play between lines. Yeah, you can have a profile of how you want to play tactically.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
You will never, never convince me that a U.S. team, first and foremost, has to be dominant and nasty and hungry. The football, great. That can be amazing. If we have the football and we don't have the nastiness as a country when we step on the field, we'll never make it. That's our profile. People want to get away from that. Now, do you want to get away from that bunker mentality? Yes, you do.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
But you can never get away from the physicality side of the game as a U.S. player. Because as you mentioned, we fall into that middle ground where we think we're the best, but we're not quite.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Okay, so we had to pause and I had to tell Landon, open the back door, go for a walk. Calm down. I'm so angry.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Well, I do too, but it's not about soccer. Look, I think our fans, our listeners appreciate the passion. I know they do. We're going to dive into a little bit more of the changes, the personnel, what we saw, what we thought, what we think should happen in the future games, which are obviously vitally important being the Gold Cup. So let's kind of take a little bit of a deep dive into that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah, and look, when we break down these lineups, we'll talk goalkeeper in a second, right? But I break down these lineups, and I'm not really so concerned about Scali and Moussa. Moussa is kind of a utility player, right? Which I think hurts him a little bit because he can play as a fullback in a pinch. Robinson and Desk went healthy, locked down on either side. So okay with that, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
You know, I think Chris Richards... is our best center back, and then it's a plus one. Then who plays alongside him in the best games, right? For me, we're missing our strikers. You know, we're missing both of our strikers, which, by the way, at the best of times is still a weak spot for us. So we have to have Ricardo Pepe or Flo Balogun healthy and fit. We don't have that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Um, you know, and, and ultimately I think, I think tactically again with that, with that Jack of all trades, I think Tyler Adams and Weston McKinney have so many good facets to their game that sometimes it's too much here. Here's what I'm saying. There's oftentimes with, with our group, as an example, we were told internally as our group, and you'll probably remember this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
We can't all go out there. and give all of ourselves because it's going to be too much. It's going to be too robust for the group, right? They needed a little bit less from me, a little bit less from Jermaine Jones, a little bit less from you. Now, we're still going to give 100%, but it's all not going to fit in the box if we're all on a 10, right? And so Weston can drive forward.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
We know Tyler can tackle and spring forward, and they like to get in the box. I genuinely think you get your best goalkeeper in and your best back four, And you tell Tyler and Weston, you're going to sit in a double six and you're going to protect. You're going to protect. Right. Because then what that allows is it allows.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
And that's when you can use their physicality and their ball winning and their ability to pass between lines. Because then that allows you to get your four best attacking players on the field.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Like in the moment, Weston is considered one of the best attacking players. But this goes back to my original point. We need him to be his best ball-winning, energetic self. Do I think he can make a late run in the box if everything is settled behind him? Sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
But I would like to see Weston and Tyler sit as a double six, which would then allow us to get our best four attacking players on the field. That gives Gio Reyna a spot on one side. That gives Weah a spot on the other. Christian Pulisic, it gives him basically a license to roam because he's got two dogs behind him, right? So he can vacate the middle of the park. He can make a run onto the wing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
He can go forward as a double striker. He can go help the midfielders, but he's got two dogs behind him, right? And then ahead of him, you put your best striker, whether that's Ricardo Pepe or, as we said, Flo Balligan. That makes me think, okay, that excites me. That makes me think we have it. But again, I need to see that lineup for 10 games in a row. Consistently. Six games in a row. I mean—
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Look, the goalkeeper is a big talking point. It was a big talking point going into this set of games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah, I was shocked because I think the world of both Matt and Zach, and I think they are very similar in terms of talent, but they're different from a talent standpoint. But they could both... do a job for you. And the biggest issue, which no one can argue, is that Matt hasn't been playing for his club.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Now, that's not... People will... And they did this with me at the moments when I wasn't playing. They're going to try and pick the bones out of him and go, well, if he was playing, he would have saved this. I don't know. That's somewhat circumstantial. My thought is, you touched on this earlier. If Zach Steffen is in really good form, Which he is.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
They have to win the Gold Cup. After the Gold Cup's over, there's no more competitive games prior to the World Cup. Does anybody understand that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
And he had a brilliant game leading into this camp for Colorado. Man of the match. I think it was against San Jose or something. I can't remember. And Matt's not playing. But we know Matt is a really good goalkeeper. You don't, as Pochettino, you don't need to see if Matt can perform at this level. What you need to do, put Matt on the bench.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
When he earns his spot, right, and he's playing every week, then you play him for the national team because there's no question on what that Matt Turner can play for the national team. He's played in the World Cup. So you don't actually have to see if he can perform at that level. In fact, you reward the guy in Zach Steffen who's been playing and playing well until the competition heats up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Now, look, I've been told that the goalkeeper, you know, Zach Steffen got sick. He fell ill before the Canada game, right? And so there's this idea, there's this notion that he wasn't playing against Canada because he fell ill, which is probably right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
But the fact of the matter is, from what I'm hearing, the goalkeepers that went into camp, there was no discussion of what was going to happen and who was going to play which game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Whether that be goalkeeper coach or head coach, nobody had spoken to them. That's what I'm hearing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
And the reason that's weird is whether I was a senior established goalkeeper or I was one of the young kids, every time I would go into camp, either a phone call the week before I came into camp or when I landed and we're in a training session, goalkeeper coach or the manager would say, hey, Tim, I'm thinking about playing in the second game. Or that was when I was younger.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Or, hey, we're thinking about... We're thinking about playing someone else in the second game. To which, by the way, when I knew there was a two-game window and the manager was thinking about playing another goalkeeper, you know what I said to him? I went, no, Gaffer, I'm fit. I'm fit and ready. I want to play both games. I lobbied my case. And you know how many times I ended up playing two games?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Because he wanted to give somebody else an opportunity to play it? To hell with them. So it's an interesting one, the goalkeeper.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Okay. Fair, fair.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
LD, what's happening, bud? Usually we have a little bit of banter at the top. Today feels like a day of mourning. We're not going to banter. No banter for me, bud. There's a lot. No. This is CONCACAF Nations League wrap-up, and it's not a lot of fun. It's not a lot of fun. I'm going to start us off.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. who does Clint Dempsey have a grip of? Who is Michael Bradley kicking on the sideline? Because that wouldn't have went over very well. You know what I mean? Like, I just thought that's an impossibility. And to your point, these guys don't play again anytime soon. The sub was in the 69th minute. And,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
No apologies.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
And nevermind when they play, by the way, this is a whole concept of playing for the crest. Who cares about your club? Like Pochettino should be trying to win the game, which I know he was right. And that's why he made the substitution. But I'm looking at it thinking this is the strangest substitution in a competitive game that I've seen in a long time. And what was the basis of it?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah, I know. I know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Because he's so special. I mean, look, the one thing, again, I'll always, if you ever have questions or comments, send them in. If you ever read something and you're like, I can't figure this out. I'm the figured out guru. Let me tell you, because I can read between lines. Just so you know. And Landon said, goalkeepers, we don't do much. That's true. We don't. But we can keep ourselves fit.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Any other soccer player, any other player, if you're fit, you are fit. What it takes to play in a position like you did Landon or anywhere else on the field, essentially you have to be able to run between 10 and 11 K and a certain percentage of that needs to be high intensity sprints. That's not positional. That's every player.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
So when a manager says he's not fit to play in this, you can pick 20 different tactical styles and, the fitness level is the exact same. So you either are fit to run and to play and to jump and to kick, or you're not fit. So, again, I don't even know what that means, what I'm saying.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
I am. Yeah, I hear you. I mean, I think when I look overall at the two games... Massive disappointment. Because here's the thing. This is from an overall view. This is from a fan. Yes, I analyze soccer for a living, but as a fan. I'm hugely disappointed because none of this feels or looks good. U.S. soccer, and I've got some dear friends at U.S. soccer, and they ain't going to want to hear this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
I'm just saying, in general, Mauricio Pochettino, when he says that, just for our audience, a player is either fit or they're not fit. It's a myth. It's a myth for someone to say he's not fit to play in our style. So there's that. But what I would say is I don't quite know. Matt Turner's not playing, right? And he got to start. I don't know of... I don't know of a professional player, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Because you said he didn't play much. Our producers will tell us exactly how many minutes he played over the course of two games. But what I would say to you, what I would argue to you is, is he fit enough to play two times 90 minutes? If you want to argue no, no. I'll accept that. I'm saying...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
If you're a professional football player and you have a contract as a professional, you are fit enough to – and you're not injured. You're fit enough to at least play 50, 60 minutes over the course of two games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Minimum. Bare minimum. So I think the selection disappoints me. Gio doesn't disappoint me, but I'm disappointed in the fact that he – If we're giving players opportunity to play and the prerequisite isn't you have to be playing for your club to play for this national team, then I'm disappointed that we didn't see him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah, so… Me too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Because otherwise, I mean… Look, let's just hope there's a bigger… But Gio, very much like his father… And you'll probably hate the comparisons. He always gets compared to his father. Very much like his father… has a nasty streak in him. And we saw that. And that's kind of what we've been talking about, you and I, this episode. When he came on, right? And I spoke about it earlier.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
He's laid into one of those players on the sideline, got past him, took his knee off, and then started this confrontation, this kerfuffle of sorts. That's what we wanted to see.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
It's a massive problem. It's a massive problem.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
But, you know, this is a kid. But, yeah, fair enough. He's super talented. He played 21 minutes over the last two games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Just in the Canada game. So, like, he's got talent. He's got a nasty streak to him. I'm not sure why he's not playing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
It's time for the Fan Connection presented by AT&T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions. The best way to grow the game of soccer in the U.S. is to keep asking questions and keep talking about the sport we all love. At AT&T, connecting changes everything. And on USLNT, our connections with you will help grow the game. It is time, LD.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
The AT&T Fan Connection. One of our favorite times of the week because we get to talk a lot of stuff, nonsense or otherwise, and then our wonderful fans get to write in to us, comment, questions, and concerns.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Have at it. And, you know, Jordan, welcome. Your favorite time of the week, too. What kind of heat you got? A little AS Roma?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
It's crazy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
It better be. There's no other. What a legend. All right. Really quick. Yes. When Michael Bradley was playing for Roma, I called him and I said, Mike, can you get me a Totti jersey? No, you didn't. Bro. Bro. The next camp, he comes in with a signed Totti jersey. No way. Yeah. What a legend. Yeah, way. Legend, Michael Bradley. Yeah. Wow. Anyway, keep going. Busy, busy, busy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
You know, I watched the game yesterday. Again, I'm not the crowd control police, but I'm going to continue to wear the hat. There's nobody there. I played in the most bang average summer friendlies at the most terrible time of the day in God knows what city. And there was more people than there was for that game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
But do you not think that there's a flaw in the hiring process? If as a U.S. Soccer Federation, you pay this five, six million a year for Pochettino and he, okay, yeah, he can bring a staff, but you've got to be able at some point to mandate that, look, we have to, we have to have an American staff.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Not for the sake of having an American, but there has to be some sort of connectivity to… Well, I would just say Tim, too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
I think Pochettino's all in. You know, it's nice if you get settled here and have roots, but I do think Pochettino is all in, absolutely. And look, the Going back to having an American on staff or in the camp, not just a singular camp, but in the camp, it has to be someone who is committed and dialed into the team because you have to be able to suffer day to day with the team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
This concept, like, by the way, these current players, as we were, they don't give a good goddamn about me walking into a dress room and telling them what I think and pontificating. In fact, most of them hate what I say on this podcast because nobody wants to, I didn't want to be criticized. I didn't like it. Um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
So the planning for both the semifinal and the final and third place game were horrific. They're playing in front of nobody.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
It's a miss. I remember, I always remember because I remember looking up to so many of these giant European players. But you remember when Oliver Bierhoff was part of the German setup?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
He was like a go-between. He was like, yeah, he was a manager. A general manager or something. Yeah. And I think we tried that, didn't we? Was it with Brian McBride or whatever? It wasn't Ernie Stewart, but we tried it with some... For whatever reason, that's gone out of the game. But to your point, and the point of the question, there has to be somebody in U.S.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
soccer on the general manager level, the day-to-day, and maybe that's Oguchi Onyewu. I know there's some people there, but...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
It always falls on the players, and here's why. I'm talking specifically with your country. You don't get to play for your country very often. You get to play for your country 10 days out of every year. Okay? When... If you're talking about the mundane of playing in the Premier League and then...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
and then a cup game in the midweek, and then another game, and then you're like, oh, it's dark and it's dreary. It rains every day. Maybe the manager, every now and again, you need a swift kick up the backside. Sure. Absolutely. I always believe a player should be self-motivated. Certainly the leadership core should motivate the group.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
But when you play for your country, it has nothing to do with the manager. You have to envision a scenario of, holy heck, we don't know where the manager is, but we're kicking off in two hours. You go to that game without your manager, it doesn't change anything. Yeah, you're right. It doesn't change how – It wouldn't change a damn thing. It wouldn't change your mentality.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
It has nothing to do – your manager can't save you when you walk across the lines. Only the 11 guys that are on the field can give that effort. It's amazing to me that we are talking about effort. And not just us, because apparently fans of the show and the fans of the U.S. Men's National Team are also talking about this. So people are seeing it. And that's a crime. It really is.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Jesse's got a real buy-in. Jesse's got a real buy-in from that group. Jesse's a good manager. He is one of the most stand-up human beings that I've ever met. And he, in that group, you know, whatever they're cooking over there, They look at the U.S. and we are their number one target. And they play like it. They perform like it. Even Jesse, you know, Jesse's very calculated. I'm not surprised.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah, of course.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
I'm sure he didn't want to be sent off, but he knows how to motivate his team. And fair play. Hats off to Jesse Marshall and the Canadian team. And not just for this game, the way they've been going over the last year or so.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Of course.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Who asked that question?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Incredible question. Incredible question. I mean, think about— It could be because Landon was quick to correct and say, like, it's not on USAR, it's on CONCACAF, and I agree. Can we for a second, like, stop it? Like, we're 12 months away almost from a World Cup. We're showcasing our nation. Totally. This is the CONCACAF Nations League in one of the biggest cities in America. You watch the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
How can FIFA or CONCACAF or US or whomever, how can they live with this? How can they be okay with this? Because by the way, we're showcasing what America can do is what we do best. No one puts on live sporting events like we do. dot, dot until it comes to the nation's league. Like it's crazy. It's a great question. I'm sure they'll, I'm sure they'll post.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
And I know so far, by the way, I've been there for the Superbowl. It's huge. I get it. It's freaking ginormous. And I'm sure they'll post numbers that say there was, I don't know, one of our producers can get us a number. I'm sure it'll be, there was 35,000 people there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
The Revs fans. The Revs fans. We're already public enemy number one.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Play it somewhere else then. Yeah, but again, okay, Landon, you said that you and Sakharov took a little bit. But I'm also saying, hang on. It's a CONCACAF thing. If it's in Jamaica, it's like, oh, it's in Jamaica. That's your fault. This is U.S. soccer's problem.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Well, yeah, okay, I'll go first. So as I'm thinking about this episode, this could change, but I don't think it will. I'm going to be, I think I got really excited about the Nations League. I did. I'm going to be far more calculated. And pessimistic is not the right word. But I think this group needs to show everyone more. And so I think I'm going to be...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
slightly more calculated as we build up to the gold cup and the preview of what that looks like. Um, because yeah, I think it's, I think it's, um, um, a must win, uh, A must-win because, again, it's the same thing I continue to say. This group needs to be together in a tournament format where it really, really matters, playing every three or four days, and they need to win.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
This is their last opportunity to do that before they go into the World Cup, which is all the things I just said. So for me, I think it's incredibly important. Incredibly important. I think you need to see You need to see six wins. I think you need to see a couple of them where they dig in. You need to see three or four wins that are emphatic. And then they need to win.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Right. But here's why I like you. Because you forgot that George W. Bush said, there's an old saying in Texas, fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, can't fool me again.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Well, we've been fooled. We've been fooled. Because here's why, Landon. I agree. The Panama game should have been a slap in the face. Ain't going to happen against Canada. Guess what? It happened. So now what you're saying is, okay. This group needs to take a hard look in the mirror and come out fighting. Well, guess what? I remember a couple guys getting sent off, not having accountability.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Manager gets sacked. You remember all the post-game interviews? When Greg Berhalter got sacked, it's accountability. We ain't seen that. What have we seen? What have we seen from this group that tells you they're going to hold each other to a chord? We haven't. No, we haven't. So this is why I'm saying.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
I know. I know you do.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
by reading a quote from none other than yourself that went viral because people like to hear unfiltered takes. And you said after the game, I'm sick of hearing how talented this group of players is and all the amazing clubs they play for. If you aren't going to show up and actually give a shit about playing for your national team, decline the invite. Talent is great. Pride is better.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
So that was an issue, right? But believe me, not the biggest issue. Yeah. There's no divine right to win a football match. So this isn't a concept of like, they should have won both games and to hell with them. No, that's not, that's not the case.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
You do both. You care and you golf a lot. I love it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah, 100%.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah, so much love to our fans and our listeners. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, VW, and our fan connection sponsor, AT&T. Have an amazing week. Look forward to getting back with you next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
But, but the idea that my firm belief is if we're, if we're in big games and these were big games, these were semifinal and a competitive third place game. If we're going to get beat, you're going to walk off the field limping. That's the exchange. We don't get beat and you cruise. Ain't how it works.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
If we're going to get beat, you're going to earn it, and you're actually going to be desperate to get off the field. Because, listen, I've played in games where my team's chasing shadows, but we've actually kicked the lump, and people don't want to hear that. That's the thing. Football's too expansive now. Play between lines, get the ball in the six-yard box and play.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
No, it's about everybody, everybody in the world. The best game in world football is El Clasico, or it has been. Barcelona versus Real Madrid. Please, the next time you have an opportunity, watch the first 20 minutes of that game. There's nothing pretty about it. It's the best footballers in the world, and there's nothing pretty about it because it's a mentality. It's a siege mentality.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
It's draw the lines, fight for what you're going to get, and then the game opens up. I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed that it took for Gio Reyna to come on the pitch and take a guy's knee off and then there wants to be a kerfuffle and a coming together. That needs... You ever watch hockey? You ever watch hockey when you're playing a rival?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Sometimes a puck isn't even touched before someone draws the battle lines. And so there's a competitive element that's missing with this team. Yes, there's talent in certain areas. Of course, there's talent in certain areas. What we love, and we talk about it all the time, but we have to talk about the other side of it, the competitive nature, the leadership. That's a big issue for this team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
And Mauricio Pochettino was saying, I think he was quoted as, we have time. I tend to disagree with him a little bit because here's the thing, LD.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
This group of players got a manager sacked,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
lost three of the last four to Panama, had an abysmal showing in the Nations League. Abysmal. To finish fourth is a crime. And now, and by the way, by the way, before anybody, and we love your comments, so bring them in. Before any of the current players get upset with me, I've gotten coaches sacked as well. I've been a part of groups. You've been a part of groups.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
But you don't perform well enough. Your teammates don't perform well enough where you get your coaches sacked. It sucks. But this group got a coach sacked. Lost three out of four to Panama. Finished fourth in the Nations League. I tell you what. I tell you what. If you thought all eyes were going to be on the Gold Cup, by God. By God. They have to win. They have to win the Gold Cup. I don't know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
After the Gold Cup's over, there's no more competitive games prior to the World Cup. Does anybody understand that? I know there's friendlies. And by the way, the way this group is going, they're not going to all be together. They're not going to be all together for these friendlies. There'll be certain guys pulling out. That's okay. It happens. But guess what? You've run out of time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
So unless the entire group is together and wins the Gold Cup, I'm worried. But yes, I think Pochettino, when he says there's time, I think there's probably like another month, month and a half in terms of time. After that, there's no more competitive games, simply put.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
On that note, I'm going to let you go.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
It means more to Mexico. It should never. I mean, here's the thing, right? So we agree on this. Tyler Adams was quoted after the game. It's really interesting because sometimes it's when you read something that a player says or a manager says, you then have to dissect it. Tyler Adams said, I mean, listen, it's hard for me to judge. I think my mentality is a little bit different.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
I'd agree with that. I think we need to have every single person buy into exactly what we're doing and why we're trying to do it. But it's just the little things for me. Duels, tackles, leaving your mark on the field, not being naive in certain moments, being a little bit more clever. All the details of the game that I feel when I watch people play with their clubs, we do. right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
So, and then, and then he finishes the quote and says, and then we come here. Sometimes I think we forget a little bit what the games are going to give us. So that's what he said, right? LD. My issue with what he said is that, he's a little bit different. He was, no, no, no. But, but he was saying, and I agree with Tyler Adams. He's saying he is different. His mentality is different.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
He'll leave something on you. Right? So basically he's talking about the players around him and he's saying, and he's saying, I'm a little bit different. but we need everybody to buy in, which means that not everybody's buying in. And by the way, this is what I just said. The duels, the tackles, leaving something, that's a prerequisite.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
As soon as you cross the line, you should be like, that's sort of, I don't know if we're going to score today, but I'm going to win my challenges. I'm going to put somebody on the ground and they're going to know they're in a game. Done, right? The rest of it, we don't know. And so I just, you know, I think about, I think about, I like what he's saying.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
I'm wondering how much of that is translating into the dressing room. Let me give you an example. When we were... And we played... I think we probably played a hundred times together. There were times... where I would call someone to a chord, but players, brothers of mine, who I love dearly, would get their finger this close to my face and say, you ain't performed today.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
You ain't done good enough. And because of the personality I had, I stood up, I bowed up. We got to grips with each other, right? But you know what happened? I went back out on the pitch and I thought, That shivered me to my core. I hated that feeling of being called out and letting somebody down. That will never, ever happen again. But I needed that reminder.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
And players that I was around were big enough, bold enough, and strong enough to say that to me. And there's been times you've looked across the dressing room at me and said things. And I thought that hurt because I respect this guy. But leaders, the problem is leaders can't be liked. If you want to be a leader and be liked, you're in the wrong profession, right? Because I had players. Yourself.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
More nasty was Clint and Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley. These are all people that I call friends and brothers. But you know what? I tell you something. They would prefer to win first and lose my friendship than to keep my friendship and lose a game. That's a matter of fact. I love Michael Bradley. He is eternally my brother. But I can tell you this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
CONCACAF Nations League Loss: USMNT Reactions & Concerns
He'd give up dinners and wine with me to win. And that's the difference between being a leader and not being.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
So I think it's incredible what you're doing. I, I, I guess when you talk about and you give us the example of those two seniors, right, 50 are coming back, buying their own meal plan. I see so many colleges, so many universities struggling to build that legacy at their school because of the transfer portal. Right. And I think the transfer portal has amazing pluses and amazing minuses. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
One of the negatives is kids aren't staying at the same school every day. for four years, right? So, so by the time you're used to having seniors put their arm around freshmen, they're not there anymore because it's a kid who's coming from another school. How important is the transfer portal to you in terms of bringing players in, but also how does it hurt the program?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
NCAA soccer is a big conversation, a big deal in this country, and we are delighted, absolutely delighted to have with us today the head coach of the University of Vermont NCAA national champions men's soccer team, Rob Dow. So honored that you are here with us.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Yeah. Collegiate athletics doesn't, doesn't exist anymore. It's basically professional division two, you know, with some academics thrown in.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Which is significant for a lot of these kids.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
I just went through the recruiting process with my daughter. We know all about the Allstate money when that comes on the table. Well, listen, I think you're in a fantastic position to have that conversation, right? You've just won the national championship. Get all those alumni.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
I've got a dear friend, Mitch Dector, who played at the program, and I'm sure he'll be putting some money into the program.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Mitch, me, you, and Rob are going to get on a call. But no, I think it's where the sport is going. And as you said, it's If $5,000 to $10,000 is the difference, as Landon mentioned, of keeping one of your better players, that has to happen. That's part of the business side of it. I'm also curious. I know a couple of your players in the summer play in USL League 2. Is that something you encourage?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Do you want more of your players to do that, if possible, just to continue to get high-level games?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
We have a thousand things we want to ask you and dig into, but no rest for the wicked because you had a newborn son during that NCAA tournament run. Talk to us. Welcome.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Oh my God. Rob, at the risk of the wrath of Vermont's athletic director, Once you build this dynasty and win three or four more national championships, is there ever a world in which you want to coach internationally, professionally? Is that something that you see further out on your horizon?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
No problem at all. We have plenty of those.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
I think that's the best. I think you win.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
We're going to, we're going to pin that. We're going to use that. That's awesome. Rob continued success. Thanks guys.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
LD, I got to say, I really enjoyed Rob Dow. I think he's humble. He's a champion. And one of the things I liked most about the conversation with him was he talked about culture and he gave us examples of how he built it. And people, it's amazing. All people want to talk about now in sports is culture, culture. It's just like this buzzword. And literally nobody knows what it means.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Nobody knows how to implement it. But then when you see it, when you see it and you see someone who has success because of culture, like they didn't win because they went out and bought all the best players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
They went out and won because they have, as you said, he brought these 50 year seniors back who bought their own meal plan just to be around the freshmen. So well done to him. I enjoyed that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
The begging looks different now. He's going to be begging with a bag. Take that. You go count that. Me and mom and dad will talk. Look, I think college soccer has a really interesting or takes up an interesting space in American soccer. Like on the women's side, that is the breeding ground, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Your four-year breeding ground, and some are leaving early, but to get to the NWSL or professional soccer abroad. In America, for the men, it's been a little bit different. You and I, we'll talk about our collective routes, but we didn't go to college, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And when you look at just this past December, Philadelphia Union traded all of their draft picks for the next three seasons to the Colorado Rapids for just over $600,000 in general allocation money. So even at the end of my MLS playing career, there were numbers that were saying draft picks mean nothing. The percentage of kids coming out of college don't make MLS rosters.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And so, yeah, it's an interesting space that needs probably to revamp coming up soon.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
There has to be reform coming because, you know, what people on the surface at the top of the conversation want to talk about, when are we going to produce a world-class player? When are we going to win the World Cup on the men's side? And you can't even begin to have that conversation without going to the basic levels. You know, you talk about you and I being at Everton.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And underneath us, there was the youth, there was the reserve team, and there was under 18s. Like you said, if you're in the under 18s and you haven't gotten dipped your toe in with the first team, there's a good likelihood you're out the door. But the great thing about that system, Landon, is... That's a Premier League club.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And if you're an under 18 at a Premier League club and you don't make it, you can still go to League One. You can maybe go to the championship, right? And make a decent living for yourself. In America, because our system is set up as such, you can't. If you're 18 and you haven't really done much of anything and produced and you're at a certain college, That's it. There's nowhere to go.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
There's literally nowhere to go. And so it'll be interesting because I think it breaks up the traditional norm of like, you know, depending on how U.S. soccer scripts this. And we know a few people at U.S. soccer who will hopefully get on and talk about it because it's a really interesting topic.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
But like real, real big conferences when it comes to college soccer may get in that system and no longer be part of the current system.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Yeah. I mean, that's a massive transition.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Look, we need to – yeah, it's a hard question to answer, LD, because we need development, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
You said it. It's a – these kids get on campus, right, in early, middle July. They start preseason, right, because of rules and regs. They can't start preseason until – August 1st. And then it's literally this sprint out of the traps, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
For preseason train as hard as you can for, for, for two weeks, you play a couple exhibition games and then boom, you're in a three, a three month season and you're playing twice a week. And, and then it's over. And then there's, and then there's Christmas break or holiday break.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Then you come back and you're limited to eight hours a week, eight hours a week for, I'm going to get this wrong, but maybe a month or two.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
You're warming up or you're, or you're in the weight room doing, doing mobility. Right. And so like, You have to if you're if you have any aspirations of building a proper base and youth soccer in this country, youth soccer can obviously be extended to college. You have to you have to be training regularly every day.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And, you know, these college institutions are and it's starting to turn because of because of NIL. It was always about no, no, no. We're an educational institution first. And I think we've seen – there will always be books involved. But I think you saw with Ohio State winning the national championship for football, that's a $20 million squad. That's insane. It's a $20 million squad.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Anyone who tells me that that's about education anymore, it's not. It's not. It's about business. So, yeah, I'm interested to see –
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
any it's going to take a radical change and a hard pivot on so many different levels in this country with soccer to make a real difference because we've been doing this you said it's a couple decades old it is we've been doing it for long enough though to understand it ain't working not it's not working in terms of uh youth development i'm skeptical still that playing more or for longer period in college is going to eventually lead to more professionals but you have like what you have in england and we'll use england as an example because we both played there
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
I mean, I think the point you make is a good one. You know, when I look at Germany and I look at Holland and I look at England and these countries are the size of sometimes small states in America or even like a bigger state. And then they're having at some level, an organ, a football organization.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
They're probably like you said, a hundred plus, you know, like imagine the state of New Jersey having a hundred plus professional teams, somehow, somehow linked to professional or semi-professional. You're going to have, if you are any decent player, you're going to have the opportunity to be in with one of those clubs. And, and,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Look, I tend to like I'm not all for player power like wholly, but I think it's I think it adds a balance. Right. And when it adds a balance, then both sides have to get creative. But what what I didn't like was, you know, a young. young woman or young man going into a university at 17, 18 years old. And then for whatever reason, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
They, they either don't perform well or they're falling out with the coach or a new coach comes in, which we've oftentimes seen. And you're not that coach's cup of tea. They don't like your style. They want to bring someone else in. So either you just sit there and rot or you transfer, but then you sit out, you have to sit out a year, right? This, this I kind of like, because I said, okay,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
NCAA sports has now become a business. Well, back up. It's always been a business. I was going to say it's always been a business. It's now become an acceptable, obvious, out in the open business. And this allows some of these young men and women to navigate their own careers and say, like, this isn't a fit any longer. And I shouldn't be punished for that, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Because I always thought the opposite was true. When a coach... is done with you and doesn't have time for you, well, they just recruit somebody in your position. And they go, you go sit over there. And you're like, well, I can't better myself anymore. I'm done. I'm surplus to requirements. And so I think it hands the power back a little bit to these young men and women to allow them to...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Kind of be able to control some of the direction of their career. Now, like everything, it has its ups and downs. But like I said, it's about getting clever. I know coaches...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
uh personally who basically are like i'm at a i'm at a power four school i'm not really going to recruit too heavily i'm just going to wait for the transfer portal i'm going to bring in all the best kids that fell out at ucla and oklahoma these places by the way i'm getting grade one recruits right yeah they're falling in my lap and i have an amazing program and they're building a team a national powerhouse team based on the transfer portal so it works both ways
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Um, when I, when I think about, um, The University of Vermont and the heights that you've achieved there, I think it's always important to unwind that and start to come back a little bit. Talk to us a little bit about your journey in getting to the University of Vermont, because it doesn't always start at the top.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Yeah. I mean, some of the smaller, so-called smaller schools will win out, right? Because the kids who aren't necessarily, you know, who are at a power four school and they just can't get a sniff, they might go to a, what, you know, quote unquote, smaller school, but look, make no mistake about it. I know firsthand this, when we talk about business, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
LD is no different by the way, than LeBron James saying like, I'll take a meeting with the Knicks. I'll take a meeting with the Lakers. Once I take those meetings, Okay, who's giving me what? Like, I know firsthand of a girl who's gone to three, transferred, gone to three schools, big schools, visited the campuses, heard everything, and then gone, okay, I like y'all. Who's giving me what?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And the biggest bitter one. And I think that's a great thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And most of the time it is. And I look, you and I, you and I had a lot of phone calls when I was, when I was at Memphis and I don't want to see, and you were at San Diego and we talk and we talk about players and different things. And I can remember also player coming into my office and saying like, Tim, I appreciate you guys taking a chance on me at a great season, but like,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Indy's offering me $50,000 more. And I'm like, hey, kid, get your eyes off the floor. Get out that door and go sign that contract. I can't keep you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
You don't have to be upset about it. And so it's about the money. And that's where we are in college sports.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
It's time for the Fan Connection presented by AT&T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions. The best way to grow the game of soccer in the U.S. is to keep asking questions and keep talking about the sport we all love. At AT&T, connecting changes everything. And on USLNT, our connections with you will help grow the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
LD, everyone's favorite, favorite time of the week. Including, including... Jordan's favorite time of the week. Jordan, get on in here. J-Y'all.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Jordan, what do we got? Jordan, what do we got?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Holy hell. You said spicy. That was just a lame thrower. God, that was a bomb.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
No, I mean, look, I think Title IX is fantastic, and it gives so much money to women's sports and that empowerment. So, look, I... I understand the question, right? Because because of that, you have the power players and the king, which is American football. It's it's king in college and it's king in the NFL. It's the most moneymaker by a trillion percent.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
So everything then trickles down from there in a really good way. The gray part is that some men's varsity sports are getting cut. the suggestion that we take football out of the equation. Okay. But then you, you, you get, you don't get nearly as much money coming into, into the universities, right? Like that money is coming into universities through television rights, through donors and alumni.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And they're just not, you know, as Rob Dow just mentioned to us, they're not paying tons of money for, for NIL deals for the men's soccer team. Right. And so we still, we still need the football money in my opinion, if there's another way to do it. And I certainly don't like seeing varsity sports get cut. That's difficult.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Yeah, I think the money drops. I don't know if there's even enough money left in the pot to keep teams around.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
It's a great question. I appreciate that. Great question. Very thought-provoking.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
I disagree. It's a good point that Jordan makes, but we have tried every variation. Amanda and I have been a part of this as young players and as parents, and we've tried every variation almost of trying to create a system. And when you look at how the rest of the world operates... it starts with the professional clubs and then it trickles down.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
They, they, they fund and facilitate one of the, one of the, and Jordan brings up a good point, you know, get the coaching, the coaching youth development coaching in America is poor. And that would be disaster. Okay. Yeah. So poor, I thought I was kind of understated, but so, so we still have to, we still have to figure out how to get better coaching.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And oftentimes when you can streamline it and put it underneath the Everton way, Liverpool way, Manchester United way, um, And you get these coaches. I mean, it happens all the time in Spain. Each club, and in Holland and Germany as well, each club has a certain style or philosophy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And you start that at the senior team that you see that's playing in Champions League, all the way down to the kiddies and the under nines. They all play the same way and the same philosophy. There's only really one way to do it to have success, in my opinion.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
I think it's, it's hard. You know, what you talk about there is consistency. And when I look at the game of soccer, I mean, you could talk about other sports, but there's different mechanisms in soccer. I think it's, it's almost easier to just have an amazing season, the Cinderella season, and just win.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Um, I am going to go to dinner and then I'm going to be in bed because I have to be up at 3 30 AM for studio. So it's going to be more like a lunch than a dinner.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Let's pull all of these things together. If I'm an MLS team, right? You and I... are MLS owners, right? We, we own a team together and we're, we're trying to draft a player. It's not that these college players aren't good. You've been in, in the LA galaxy preseason when college players have come in, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
It's a lot harder to consistently be in the final eight, final four, because that's when, you know, and I always use the example of Arsenal. Arsenal hasn't won a Premier League title yet, but they're finishing second, finishing second. Eventually, that's going to put them over the hump. It's so much easier to have this one-off success.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
I've been in New York and in Denver when these college players come in, you're ultimately LD getting a 20 year old player, right? Who hasn't played a lot of soccer in the last five years, right? So you've seen it. Right. The player's actually pretty good. He knows how to head it and kick it, get it down, play a pass here or there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
But overall, he's not a very good soccer player because he hasn't had... So he's gone five years almost and played little to no soccer. He's played from like September to November. And then he's asked to come into an MLS team, which by the way, it's win now, it's invest in you. Why would we invest in a player... who's already passed his sell by day.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And we don't even know if we can develop him because he's 20 years old already. Like, does that start to make sense a little bit? And that's why so many, and MLS has tried, by the way, they've had the draft, they've had the draft, the super draft. And ultimately the numbers are just like, this isn't, this isn't pie in the sky.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
MLS overall, every single team is basically saying, we draft X amount of players out of the super draft, and by year two, they're no longer with our organization. If every team's saying that, what's the point of going through that exercise? So, wow.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
I mean, the building part of it must be really difficult, though, in college soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
I'm, uh...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
We got to get some Catamount gear.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Yeah, thanks, everybody. Really appreciate all of you. And thanks to our presenting sponsor, VW, and our fan connection sponsor, AT&T. Have an amazing week. Stay safe. Stay blessed. We'll see you next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Rob, I think when we were talking about having you on the show, soccer junkies like myself and Landon and all of our listeners – Take us inside the – give us a synopsis of the season. It ends with a championship, but there are so many – you start preseason in August, and then there's all these highs and lows and peaks and valleys.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And without giving us one particular moment where you just thought it was going to be an incredible season, take us on the journey of what those couple months looked like over the next couple minutes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
So did you get away from the kids when you were skiing or you brought them with you?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
Yeah, well, one of the things I want to touch on with the COVID year as an example, but let me just give a big shout out to what you're doing. I think when I look at the University of Vermont, you're not supposed to be there. And I mean that respectfully, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
We do special guests because so many of the topics that we want to dig into on, on this show and unfiltered is, um, is, is what the people want to hear, you know, and that's youth soccer and MLS and us men's national team and women's national team. But, um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
I think back to a guy who I think is a brilliant coach, Caleb Porter, and probably a decade, I don't know, a decade ago, he did the same thing at Akron. Akron... like Akron is a small program. They shouldn't be on a national stage. It's about UCLA and Maryland and Indiana. And he turned things upside down.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
NCAA Soccer with guest Rob Dow, Head Coach at the University of Vermont
And I think what, what you're doing at Vermont and that what they're doing at Marshall, I mean, they're, they're, they're turning heads in a big way because when you look at these schools, you're actually not supposed to be in that conversation, but, but you're, you're pushing yourself not only into the conversation, but, but to the top of the, of the class.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
It's obviously your first season there. You're probably exceeding expectations, maybe not your own, but as a group, your team is off to a flying start. Is there a sense, and obviously you don't speak in absolutes, is there a sense where you think this team can go in year one? I know it's always a process with a manager.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
You look to what you can do in years two and three and beyond, but do you get a sense of where this team is positioned this season?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
the Germany game, I wasn't on the bus, but I saw the scenes. I mean, that answer gave me goosebumps and Bruce, you, I mean, look, you are the lucky one, but all of your players who have played for you are, you know, we're, we're fortunate.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
And again, as I said, to be a, to be a living legend and be able to give you your flowers in front of our audience who absolutely adores you and the U S men's national team. It's really special for us.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Man, that was awesome. I mean, awesome. You know what? I said it there, you know, to his face, but we have to pull out all of this knowledge from people who have been there and done it. You know what I mean? And like, I keep saying he's a living legend. He's wanted every facet. Every facet.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Forgot about that. And the Revs fans are going to hate us more. But… I know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
I mean amazing… Every level. Multiple national championships at Virginia. Multiple MLS Cups. DC, LA. Supporter shield with the Revolution. Best ever finish with US Men's National Team in the World Cup in 2002. And you've been along the ride for so much of that with him. He's just, he's awesome. I love his brutal honesty.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Yeah. And you know, the interesting thing is two thoughts come to mind. He said he's 74 this year, right? He still seems to have the hunger and the desire to get on the grass every day. And I hope that he has incredible success in San Jose and sees out his career.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
But by the way, if I was in a hiring position and I ever needed to – and I ever was a coaching vacancy, I'd just go to the board and go, we're hiring Bruce Arena. And if they ask me any questions why, I'd go – Here's a stack of papers. Just read that. This is why he should coach our team. You know, the other part is I was distraught. And that's an understatement.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
When we lost out in 2017 and didn't go to the World Cup. Because they brought Bruce back, right? After the first two games of qualifying. Fired Juergen Klinsmann. Brought in Bruce. And I was just like, this is it, man. This is the savior. This is... I wanted to be... Selfishly, I wanted it for myself as well. To go to a fourth World Cup. But I was like... Bruce Arena is supposed to be this coach.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
He's supposed to be our coach to take us to the World Cup. And obviously, as players, we disappointed and we didn't get the job done. But it was a fun little run that hopefully was going to end in a fairytale but didn't. But he's a special man.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Yeah, I mean, I don't know if I can argue with that too much. I do like Arsenal's chances in the semifinal matchup. We'll get to that. The one thing I was talking to our producers just before the show and saying, like, Champions League is great. Oftentimes in the early rounds, I do think there's just a lot of games, and I think the big matchups are fun.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
But I'm not sure, Landon, honestly, I'm not sure the drama of the second half of the second leg... if you know where I'm going with this, in the knockout phases, I don't think it gets more exciting in sports because it's just like the world's greatest players basically going, who said tactics? Ain't no tactics. We got to go chase a goal. You got to defend and then hit us on the break.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
And it's just such chaos. And the one thing that stood out to me, because I think, you know, we both played at such a high level, but these players rarely make mistakes. I'm thinking about like... I think it was Nuno Mendes' goal for PSG. Not 100% sure. But anyway, the ball gets squared across. He takes a touch to open up his left foot and smacks it, right? Like, just tucks it inside the post.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
We did the highlights for NBC yesterday in the studio, and I looked at this replay, and I'm like, the ball wasn't even sitting for him. Like it rose up, but he realized it was, it was going to be kind of like on the half and he just slapped at it. And I was like, the technique and the execution of players at this level is like mind blowing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
And to watch it, like the play out over the course of the, of 90 minutes or 180 minutes, it's, it's special, man. Love knockout football.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Yeah, you make an interesting point. They're going to rest players. And Mikel Arteta's done it the last two weeks for these two legs against Real Madrid. He's going to rest players on the weekend. they're most likely going to finish second. If they drop down at this point, it's worth the risk. Not drop out of the Champions League spots, but drop down a place or two.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
I think it's big credit to them. Because look, this is the part we're talking about with Champions League. I was having conversations yesterday in the morning before the game. And they're up 3-0 on aggregate, right? People were saying, people in the know, were saying, look, they expect Real Madrid to get two to four goals on the day, right? It didn't happen, but that's a real comment.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
They're going to get two to four goals. If they get two, it's now 3-2. What does Arsenal do? They come out of a shell, right? If they get four or three, then they got to chase the game. So in the end, it didn't work that way. So that's why I think big credit to Arsenal. But this is real. Where do you go into a second leg?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
and say, oh, we're up 3-0, but we might have to score today because they could put four on us. It's incredible. But yeah, I think Mikel Arteta has the ability to kind of bunker his team in and play on the break or get the football and play free-flowing. So it will be a good game. And I think Arsenal will look at Villa. By the way, you have to be precise every moment of 180 minutes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Where Villa failed was the back end of that first leg.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
They'd have been a little bit more switched on. They were in it. They proved they can be in it. So, Arsenal will look at those two legs and say, Villa's a good team, but we think we're better than Villa.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Villa gave them a certain type of game, and they'll be able to as well. It'll be a good tie.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Wow. Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Kind of. Did you?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
If you don't advance, then... Yeah, there's been some rumblings of kind of like turmoil in the background. I know there was... Things just haven't been right there. And... You know, look, the bottom line is at these big, massive clubs. Yeah, you're right. I mean, we've seen managers win titles and get sacked. Like these big clubs, there's no room for error.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
And so things just haven't gone according to plan. Obviously, getting knocked out against Arsenal was probably the final straw. So, yeah, you know, hopefully for them. they can produce a performance in the Copa del Rey final, which is April 26th, I believe. So yeah, a very short stay for Ancelotti. Shame for him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
You know the interesting thing? You remember when Inter did it with Jose Mourinho? If you don't follow Italian football, Italian football is tailor-made for knockout football. They know how to manage moments. They know how to take the sting out of the game. Oh, you want to sit in a deep block and have eight behind the ball? No problem.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Listen, the Italians can defend with their backs against the wall for as long as humanly possible. If you put 300 minutes on the clock and said, don't concede, they'll go, okay, we'll show you how this is done. It's... It's insane tactically the way the Italian team set up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
I think that's possible. I mean, they win a treble.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Yeah. Look, I think it's possible. And again, we were having this conversation offline. I love Cristiano Ronaldo. I love Messi. What we experienced in our time and in that window of time with them owning and dominating everything was special. But the fact of the matter is it was going to be one of them who won the Ballon d'Or.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
So you're just like, now it's kind of open, which I like better because everyone has a chance. Before, no one had a chance. They didn't. They didn't. It was great. You knew it was one of those. It was Messi, Rinaldo, and maybe one other token guy they threw in there. Now, no, it's true. And third place was a distant third. So I'm excited to kind of see how that pans out.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
It's time for the Fan Connection presented by AT&T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions. The best way to grow the game of soccer in the U.S. is to keep asking questions and keep talking about the sport we all love. At AT&T, connecting changes everything. And on USLNT, our connections with you will help grow the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Welcome back into our AT&T Fan Connection. Everyone's favorite time of the week, including our very own Jordan. Welcome in, Jordan.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
No. Give us context on the mood there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
So are they saying that they think that it's Kayla Porter's fault or what's going on? I just read the questions. I don't see any people and say, could you please tell me more about your question? I'm asking the class.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Sorry for consistency. I'm going to correct you. It isn't an empty stadium. They are inside the concourse at the heating zones.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Oh, he stole my-
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Yeah, that's a good one. I'm thinking because we're, it's a hypothetical question. I'm thinking Tyler Adams back to New York to win them a title. That's what I'm thinking.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
That wasn't the question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Will you get two?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Which New York team?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
No, that's what I was saying. I know this isn't a question, but it should be. Are we going to talk about Houston nicking points off your Galaxy or are we leaving that for another time?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Wow. That's a docu-series.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Yeah, I agree with that. I mean, there's a laundry list of things that gets MLS to in that conversation. Obviously, calendar change is probably happening. But yeah, to your point, Lennon, there are a lot of there was a lot of necessary mechanisms in place to ensure the survival of the league. That being said, you can't get into the conversation of being the best, best league in the world.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
If those mechanisms are still in place. Right. So, um, yeah, when, when that, when that, uh, changes, then I think absolutely. Like you said, then at that point it wouldn't take very long. Um, yeah, you're talking under, you know, in and around five years to get, the players through the door to make it arguably one of the top leagues.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
I mean, just imagine for a second, right? And I know it's sort of pie in the sky, but it's also not because... Think about how many really good players, top players... in and around their prime, maybe back into their prime, went to Saudi Arabia. I'm not suggesting that it'd be completely that wide open. I'm not.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
I'm simply saying when you close your eyes and allow your mind to think about, like, those players playing for Charlotte or Minnesota or Houston or New York or wherever, right? Like, that's exciting as heck. And it's possible.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Yeah, LD, I can't overstate how much these days mean to us, and I know they mean to you. Thank you, Bruce. Absolute legend. There are a lot of other accolades, but legend is the one that I think of. And again, some really amazing moments that we shared and really appreciate today. Thanks, everybody, for listening.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Thank you to our presenting sponsor, VW, our fan connection sponsor, AT&T, and our unfiltered refresh sponsor, Coors Light. Have a great week. Look forward to seeing you back next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Welcome in, everybody. to another edition of Unfiltered Soccer. We keep saying we have amazing guests and sometimes you are in the presence of greatness and we are honored and humbled. And Landon, I'm going to let you do this intro because our next guest is very special to both of us, but I know your history and so I'll let you take it away.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Yeah, and Bruce, one of the things that Landon and I often say on this podcast, and it's not – I think some people probably take it as arrogance, but we've seen the highs and the lows. Between he and I, we've seen European soccer, USL, NWSL, MLS, national team. We've seen everything.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
I have a daughter going to college, and she's gone through the youth system, and she's playing at college, and Landon has kids. We've seen everything. But the person I think in American soccer who might have seen it all is you. And I mean that sincerely. We talk about living legend. If you look at every pillar of the game, you've won. You've had the best teams at every pillar of the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
I remember watching your UVA teams in 1990. I do. I remember going to games when you're on the East Coast. That was the best college team possibly ever. Your DC United teams, they were untouchable. Not just the first iteration, but in the subsequent years as you started to trim the fat and add. You've won the Cups, you've done it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
And then in 2002, you took the US and South Korea and brought us to our best ever finish in a World Cup. So you've seen it all. And I just think about the growth of the game and going back to, you're off to a brilliant start in San Jose. Even though we've evolved, even though the league nearly folded and we've talked about all these different things,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
I do think your teams in D.C., your best teams in D.C., would still have the ability to compete at the highest level of today's MLS. Do you agree or disagree with that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
And you talk about, you talk about the young talent in this country, which I, which I completely agree with that. You brought that team in 2002. Landon was a part of it and he was one of the youngsters, right? But you had, you had a good mix of, of, of veterans.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
There's no doubt, but you bled through a bunch of young players, the top young players, some of them that, that this country has ever seen taking a step back. How important was yet a great run in DC? Like, I know you're a bold, confident coach, but deep down, how important was it for you to get that U.S. national team job? Was that something at the top of your wish list your entire career?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Well, I mean, listen, I think our listeners are going to be so appreciative of your honesty because, you know, after games and after perceived failures of finishing fourth. In a Nations League, Landon and I come on and we pontificate about what we think. But for our listeners to hear it from one of the greatest managers to do it, that speaks volumes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
And the interesting thing is, you're right, Landon. I wrote, as soon as you said the word pride, I wrote it down in bold letters. You know, the interesting part about you, Bruce, is you are direct and you're ruthless with your players. Loving. But as a foundation, your teams have to run through a wall, care, want to wear the shirt. And I think about a time, two quick funny stories to set this up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
We were coming back from South Korea prior to the World Cup. So I think in December 2001, we played... in South Korea. And this is my, you know, I was young. I probably wasn't going to make the World Cup team, but I was young and I was hungry and I was arrogant.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
On the plane, you had this amazing thing about writing notes to players that like, it's crazy now because of technology, but you'd sit on every plane ride and write notes to players and walk back and hand them to them. And that could be what you need to do better, what I think you did well, but it was great.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
And you handed me this note and you talked about my progress and said, I'm probably not going to make the World Cup. And I was thinking, I'm going to make the World Cup. You were right. I didn't make the world cup, which is amazing. Um, and I, and I shitty goalkeepers ahead of you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
And the funny, and the funny thing was, I, as a Testament to you, I remember, I remember being young saying, I'm going to keep this note and this is going to drive me for motivation. And later that turned into like, I have a note from Bruce arena and I mean, no, and I mean this humbly. It's special to me. I still have it in my office. And then I went to Manchester and I thought I was the greatest.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
And you and I, I was sitting in my house and we were on the phone. and I said, I should be playing, Bruce. I should be playing. And he said, playing over who? I said, well, playing over Brad Friedel and Casey Keller. I'm in the Premier League. They're in the Premier League, and I play for a better team. And I think you just laughed at me and was like, well, this kid has no idea what he's doing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
But the point is you were honest, and the players, all of the players, To a man. Respected you for that. I just wonder, we always talk about football changing, players taking the emotion out of the game, being more on social media. Have you had to find yourself adapting to the player?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club & International Coaching with guest Bruce Arena
Or are you still the same Bruce Serena that will give it to you right between the eyes and give it to you honestly?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
He's kind of a Swiss army knife. He has, he has, he has so many is he can play so many positions and he plays them well. And I often wonder, like, is that a blessing or a curse? I think it's a blessing because you get on the pitch. Right. Um, and you have the ability to be available, um, to your manager and you're going to see more of the field, which is always the best thing for a player.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
You know, I think the concern, um, cause what I care about is, is the U S men's national team is he's so good in that number eight role. If everyone's, if everyone's fit, uh, Um, his energy, his exuberance, his ability to make late runs into the box is goal scoring prowess. Like that to me, I think is, is where he's at his best. Certainly, certainly with the U S men's national team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And so ideally you'd like for him to be getting as many reps and as many games in that position, but. Okay, the bottom line is he's playing and he's doing really well. Tim Weah, look, you know what it's like. Goal scorers, can you keep banging it in the back of the net?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Oh, I love it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And the more that he can do that at that level, which he's shown he can do and is doing, I mean, again, brilliant for him, brilliant for...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
um the national team and then obviously christian conseil says it's um it doesn't seem serious which is obviously a great thing and the more opportunity he can get to you know get himself fit ready for the next game for for me that's the most important thing you know with tim wea um i think and you know i i haven't spoken to him so i don't know this is true after he got that red card
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah, I mean, you make a good point about Tim Weh. Look, the fact of the matter is, if you play at an elite level, right, in Europe and with your national team, that's an elite level, You're going to fail more times than you succeed. That's just the nature of the game. Day in and day out, training five times a week, playing once or twice a week for a decade or more.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
You're going to fail more times than you succeed. And you have to be able in the big moments, right? When you get sent off or miss a sitter or whatever the case is, you have to be able to take the criticism in that moment and learn from it. Not, not, tell people to go stuff it, just understand the criticism, understand what you did wrong. If you feel you you've done wrong and change it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And you sense that change. I think other people do as well. And that's, that's a sign of maturity. That's a sign of, of, uh, look, we're all, none of us are exempt from those tough moments. Right. But it's how you kind of, how, how you allow them to kind of shape and form, um, your future experiences and how you go about your business and he's doing it in the right way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
So I think that was a big moment for him and it's showing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
The Unfiltered Soccer Podcast is brought to you by Volkswagen, the presenting partner of U.S. Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
They're not just talking about it, they're out there doing it. VW's partnerships, programs, and soccer clinics are unlocking opportunities for the next generation of players and fans.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Thank you to VW for being our presenting partner. Learn more about how VW are supporting U.S. soccer at VW.com. There's a lot in life that feels like it should be guaranteed that just isn't. Your team winning the championship, the weather being good on game day, your friends remembering who has the tickets. Some days, you're just a goal-scoring machine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
The AT&T Guarantee means connectivity you can depend on, deals you want, and service you deserve. Or they'll make it right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Learn more at att.com forward slash guarantee. Terms and conditions apply.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Okay, LD, let's talk Premier League. Oh, boy. Manchester United won. Brighton, three. Yikes. They didn't play well. It is the classic one step forward, two, three, or four steps back for Manchester United. Of course, with Ruben Ameren being the coach. All the spotlight is on him. He had some interesting, interesting words to say after the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Let me read you this quote, and then I'm going to let you take off with this. He said, I know we can succeed, but we need to survive at this moment. I'm not naive. We need to survive now. We are the worst team. Let me read that again. We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. I know you want headlines, but I'm saying this because we have to acknowledge that and change that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Here you go. That's your headline.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Totally. Totally. Look, again, I read the comment. Let's pick some of this out. He said, we need to survive this moment. As soon as you start to mutter the word survive or survival, people are like, oh boy, relegation. I tend to think, and English is a second language and he speaks very good English.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Survive this moment means they're in a really low spot in terms of mentally and the morale of the club. And I think that's, I know that's what he's talking about. Survive this moment. This feeling. In our season, this feeling, the era of this club. You know, here's why I like him coming out and saying, what's the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Because that's what the facts are saying. And unfortunately, I have watched so many Manchester United managers, particularly the last one, Ayrton Hug, when you, me, and everyone else is reading this script, right? And he'll go, he'll stand up there and tell you, you're not seeing what you're reading. You're thinking, wait a minute, you can't keep trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Like tell us what we, what we already know. Um, and so I do like the truth about that. And I do, I think it's clever. And here's why I've been around enough managers, particularly in England, um, You have to create your own narrative. This team isn't good enough. You just said it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
It's not good enough, nowhere near good enough to be a Manchester United team, to play in the Champions League, to win a title. And he knows that. He also knows that he has a very fundamental system that is completely flawed if he doesn't get the right players in. And he knows that that time is coming. January is probably not the right time to bring in the right players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
But the summer and a windfall and getting players out. And I think the more he pushes that, Sir Jim Radcliffe and Ineosin Omar Barada and the powers that be in the hierarchy at Manchester United will listen to that. We'll probably already know that. But I think this continues to push his narrative. And I do. I like him as a manager.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And I certainly think you can't judge him as a manager in terms of his style and these players because these players don't fit. They don't fit his style. They don't fit at Manchester United. And the proof is in the pudding because they haven't forever. number of years now. So I like his honesty.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah. I tend to, I tend to think, I tend to think that Omar Barada and Sir Jim Radcliffe and the whole crew aren't naive to this. I think they took this club over from the sporting side, and I think they saw the holes and the flaws. And, you know, I often say with rock bottom, be careful because there's a trap door. And I think they understood that. I tend to think Omar...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Omar, excuse me, Ruben Amram would have had those honest conversation. He seems like it on the surface to say, look, this is the way I play. This is why you've you've come to get me. You've seen how my sporting teams play. I need I'm going to need certain players. Yeah, he probably said I think he probably said, you know what, there's. eight players in the squad that I think can do a job.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And he probably said, I can get, I can get a tune out of them. I think now having had some time with those players, that eight players, and that's an assumption is probably, he's probably realizing is like three, you know, like there's like three players that I would maybe keep around and, and, and, start, but ultimately, but again, it's difficult because with PSR, you can't change this overnight.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
You can't get rid of this whole team and bring a whole new team in. Right. And so I think a lot of the players we see now come next season will either be out the door or We're sitting on the bench as squad players, good squad players. But I think we're going to see a lot of change. By the way, we don't see a lot of change in the summer. I've got more questions for another podcast.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Um, yeah, I'm looking at the table now. I look to 12, 12 points behind Liverpool, right? Liverpool have the game in hand. We know that's emergency start Derby, which I think is rescheduled for the 11th or 12th of February. Um, City can't win the title this year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
No, but it's Champions League. Like, Forrest on 44 points, City on 38. Like, there's every chance they overtake Forrest for third place and push, you know, are they able to push Arsenal a little bit? Probably not, but like, I tend to think Forrest, for as well as they're doing, will start to slowly digress, not implode. But yeah, I think City can get back to winning ways.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah, he's a player that caught my eye over the summer, and I just think he's kind of got that X factor. And just because you have talent doesn't mean you're going to make it, right? You've got to rise through the ranks. You've got to take your lumps. But he seems to be doing it in a good way, and every time – He features, you know, he leaves you wanting more.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
There's a click and a shift in this mentality. It's been so catastrophic, their fall from Grace, which is because they've set such high standards, which makes you feel like, oh my God. Yeah. they're getting some players out of the door, making one or two other signings. By the way, Pep Guardiola is still a genius. He didn't lose that in four months.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
So if someone's asking me to bet against them, finding form, Holland banging in goals again, Phil Foden coming to the boil, them getting one or two other midfield replacements or another striker, like, you can ask me to bet against them going on a long unbeaten run. No, I won't. I won't do it. Cause I've seen it. I've seen it. So, um, yeah, I think they're slightly back. I felt I did. I did.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I felt for Ipswich on the weekend. I was talking to a buddy of mine who is an investor in the club. And I just thought like, Cause I've been on the other end of it. It was like three and a half time. And he rang me at halftime. And I thought, I thought like they got to keep it at like four because like four, four sucks. But like six is demoralizing. I I've, I've been there. I've been there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And like, When I conceded three or four, I'm like, I kind of got a hand to that one. If we had done this and put ourselves in the right situation, maybe we could. When you get to six, I'm telling you, LD, you go home and look in the mirror. Well, that's a scary sight to look in the mirror after you concede a six. And you're like, I'm not really that good. And you start the mentality of the team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
So my worry for Ipswich, I know we're going a little bit off culture here. They have Liverpool next game. and then Southampton, and then Villa. So my hope for them is in the bottom three, The hope is that you get a performance at Liverpool. Don't think you'll win. Then you go into Southampton, the dreaded six pointer. Think you win that game if you're Ipswich.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
LD, my man, what's happening? Yo. Listen, we're going to start off by talking some travel, because you know what? I think both of us were traveling this week.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And now all of a sudden you're playing Villa who are a better team. But then you're thinking, look, we've had a good performance against Liverpool. Didn't get the result. We won the game. We're supposed to win against Southampton. And now have we gained enough momentum into this Villa team against the Villa side and maybe get a result. But six is tough. But the focus is sitting in there for me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Really good performance.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
That's incredible insight for our listeners. Because it's funny you say that. It makes me think of a time I was the opposite. Everton are playing in the Europa League against Sporting Lisbon. It's like Seamus Coleman's first European game. He's still just a young kid. We had a patchwork back before. We're getting beat 5-0, bro. 5-0. I'm chasing after the ball on goal kicks. I'm like, rah, rah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
He leaves you feeling like, OK, there's growth here. Right. And I think that's that's the biggest that's the biggest takeaway. When you look at young players, it's like we know young players are going to kind of stumble and. the great performance is going to be few and far between you, you almost give them a little bit of license for that, but you want, you want to see growth.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Crazy American guy. We can do this. I'm like... People like my teammates are looking at me like, what are you doing? It's five mil. Like, and I remember in the dressing room afterward, like Dave, I'm always looking at me going, What was the point of that? And I was so heartbroken because I'm like, I don't know, maybe get one back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah, I want to talk about Holland because I think that's important. He signed a nine and a half year extension with City. So obviously it's this, you know, this half of the season plus the next half and then an extra nine. You know, he's showing a lot of trust in the club. The club's obviously showing a lot of trust in him. According to the New York Times, any release clause
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
from his last contract have been removed. That for me is a sticking point, LD, because he's the best striker in the world. It's, you know, you hear the rumors like Real Madrid, he won a couple of titles at City and then he's off to Spain. Like all of those claws have been gone, removed, which means he's not really going anywhere unless something drastic changes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
No, by the way, relegation. No, you don't know who the next manager is. Oh, I didn't think about PSR, by the way. PSR with all the charges, which we should know soon. Could. They could. I mean, I think it'd be short-lived. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I wonder, I'll tell you what, I wonder if I'm wondering how much it costs right now to get the rights to that documentary. Cause I, I reckon I could, I could do a season long documentary with city in the championship. That would be amazing. Yeah. And that this podcast would be a whole different kettle of fish, but, um, you know, the other, I think the other talking point about that, right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Is, is this keeps him in the premier league for nine and a half years. Um, You know, Alan Shearer, and everyone's talking about the goal rate that Holland is on, you know, should Alan Shearer be nervous? I don't think so, right? Because Alan Shearer is 260 goals. You know, it's crazy. And he has a goal score. If you're saying it's crazy, you must know. I mean, Holland currently has 80 goals.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
You know, in City's 16 remaining games, let's say he scores seven more goals, we're assuming, right? Ends the season with 24 for the year. 87 in total for the Premier League.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And I think, I think he's got a lot of positivity in his game. I like his confidence. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
73 behind him. He'd have to average 20 goals a season per season. And he'd pass Scheer in the last season of the contract, which is 20, 33, 24. I'm not betting on that. Yeah. I just don't see him at... Is he talented enough? Yes. I don't see him at the club for that long. I know these signs. It's got Bobby Bonilla written all over it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah. I think you need that. You know, I've often said, you know, I, I label the people all shucks guys. Like guys who are just kind of like all shucks. They don't make it to an elite level. You've got to have arrogance and brashness to go on the field and think that you're the best. Like that's just – that's the nature of it. But I thought overall, you know, we've talked –
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
So interestingly enough, a dear friend of mine from London is a Spurs season ticket holder.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
For all his sins. And he... We had a conversation. And we've had a lot of Ange Postacoglu-Tottenham conversations on NBC and studio. Because it's like I said about Ten Hag. We are seeing... Landon, we're seeing something so richly with Tottenham. And Ange comes out every game and tells us we ain't seeing that. And so... I have a ton of thoughts on it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And look, our Premier League insider, David Ornstein, said he's 100% safe, which again, I know the kiss of death is when ownership comes out, but it seems as if that's real. What would save him is they have Leicester next weekend. So that doesn't mean it's a win because of the way that they're playing. They're in both cups still.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I don't think they fire a manager who are in both tournaments, FA Cup. And I think they're leading in the EFL Cup after the first leg. So I don't think you sack a manager who's still going good on both fronts. The issue for me is... Every Premier League team, whether you like it or not, goes through an injury crisis. Every Premier League team does. Now, their injury list is long.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And you could argue that an injury list is long based on how they play, actually. But he's got defenders running the most high-intensity sprints of any defenders in the Premier League. So, okay. But my issue is, if you have an injury list that long... Right? You're now playing square pegs and round holes. You are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
You're getting guys to fill in who are in the midfield and now he's playing center back and left back. You're all over the place. The responsibility then lies on the manager to set his team up and say, hey, I know we play a high line. I know we play both of our fullbacks inverted. I know we go for it. But we haven't won in a while. And this is a problem. So we're going to go to Everton.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And I know we've got a young patchwork back line. We're going to go 4-4-2. We're going to get a result. Yes, our principle is going to be the same. Play between lines. Look to get forward when you can. Overlap on one side. Keep one of the fullbacks home. Maybe you both don't go. But the fact of the matter is, he's saying, no, I've got young players. I've got players in the wrong position.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And I'm still going to kind of hang them out to dry. And I think that's a massive problem. I think that's on the manager. And if he dissects it any other way, I think it's wrong.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
We've talked tirelessly about what January camp means. And I think overall it's, you talk about fitness. Can you, can you keep your fitness, try and get through 60, 70, 90 minutes, put in a good performance, win the game, not take too many injuries. And ultimately you have more time with the manager and the manager has more time with you. So I think that's right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
The other part about that is – and this may be harsh but fair, LD – The Premier League is unrelenting. I would probably say the Bundesliga is as well, right? He has coached this style, which in a phone booth is a fun, entertaining style, right? But he hasn't done it at this level. And yes, fair play. He did it with Celtic. In Scotland, you have two dominant teams that monopolize the best players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
That's it. So he hasn't done it at this level where every single game you could get beat. He's not done it. And... My worry is that he's being so stubborn that it's worked other places that he has, that he doesn't take that 30,000 foot view because he's so close to it to see that maybe, maybe need to tweak a few things. So yeah. Interesting.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah, I mean, some people on the inside that I know seem to really like him. So he's super buttoned up, dialed in, coached quite a lot in Hungary and Holland. And we know in Holland that tactically – And technically, those teams are spot on in the Eredivisie.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
So if he can bring any of that to New York City, they've shown they're willing to go out and back their coaches in terms of getting the right players through the door to play that style. So I think Pascal Jensen is actually quite a good signing, and people on the inside are really, really excited about him. So apparently that hiring process went really well, and they got their guy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Victim of his own success. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah. I mean, I think his home was at Crystal Palace. And it's a good home. Went to United in a tough transition moment after Sir Alex Ferguson. He was flying high. He was a little bit younger. Didn't work out for him, which didn't work out for a bunch of players, me included. But he was brilliant at Palace. I can say that. He was brilliant at Palace. That was his home. You know, what a...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I like it for Charlotte. What I would say is this, and you've more than anybody in MLS have dealt with this, right? This is one of those things where it's like, well, it gets hot in the summer here. Like there's going to be a kid at a college that's going to kick you and doesn't care that you're Wilfred Zaha. I, I, I like it. But also if you've ever seen him play, he plays with, he's at his best.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Three, one great victory, but ultimately success in the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
He's one of these guys that cheese himself up that he, he could start a fight in an empty house. He's just like anybody who touches him. He just wants to fight and be nasty because I think that gets him at his best. But again, that's going to happen to him every single game, you know? So I just wanted to, from a mentality standpoint, if he's,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Fully prepared for that, but again, talented, on the ball, tricky. I like it for sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
We'll follow that one. That's what you worry about.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I was going to say I'm happy for Chicago this didn't happen, but I think you mentioned that you might have heard something that Greg Berhalter was actually over in Saudi Arabia. I read a report, yeah, that he was over in Saudi Arabia. They were trying to make it happen. Obviously, Greg wanted it to happen. What I would say is... Thank God for unanswered prayers. I don't see.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And look, Greg is a good coach, and he probably thinks he can get the best out of anyone. That's what a good coach does. But that won't worry me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah, that'd be fun. Look, I think Eddie Howe, who's a fantastic manager at Newcastle, kind of got the best out of Almarone the other year. year, maybe not his first season, not Eddie Howe's first season, but in the second season, Miguel Amarone hit the ground running. He was flying. He was assist goals. He was coming on. He was like drifting onto the inside. He was brilliant. He really wasn't.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Let me just say, for my sins, I was in Orlando. You'd never get me to Orlando unless my wonderful, amazing daughter was playing soccer, which she was. I was down there watching her ODP games. And yeah, didn't do a lot. Stayed in my hotel room because Orlando is not my place. Sorry about it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And again, since then, Jacob Murphy's kind of taken over that right-hand side, which is fine. But he still has it. He still has it. If he's hungry and he's excited to be back in Atlanta, as you just mentioned, that could be a really fun one.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
It's time for the Fan Connection presented by AT&T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions. The best way to grow the game of soccer in the U.S. is to keep asking questions and keep talking about the sport we all love. At AT&T, connecting changes everything. And on USLNT, our connections with you will help grow the game. Jordan, get on in here.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
This is your favorite segment of the week. Oh, new background. Wow. Please come on, Jordan. Jordan, I saved this. I saved this because I have a bone to pick with you and I knew that would throw you on live podcast. We are unfiltered. And I feel like some of the questions you... I've heard from some friends that we've gotten, you know, we've gotten a few... I have gotten a few not so nice comments.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And we're unfiltered. So I think you need to bring us some heat.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
No, I just think there's some people out there who maybe disagree with some things I or you have to say. I think we need to give them their just due and stay unfiltered. No question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
A little thunder. All right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
As long as Landon's on, I'll be fine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I was going to say no bias there. I mean, naturally, I would say they have a good chance, but they have to get through Houston in the West, and that's going to be a problem given the team that Pat Onstead is putting on the field.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah, but I also think, well, one, we know how great of a coach Greg Vanney is. I think not having their best player is actually going to give him a little fuel for fire. He's going to be able to drive those players. Almost reverse psychology and basically say, don't drop your standards. We know it's going to be tough, but we've done it before. We can do it again.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And then, by the way, they get this massive boost at some point in the season. So, yeah, it's hard, though.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah. I mean, I don't think you can ever get too far away from, um, Columbus crew stadium for everything it meant to, uh, me as a player and, and, you know, my teammates, one being Landon. And, you know, we, we have never in this country had a national stadium, um, which hopefully will change in the future. But again, that will also take time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
You go to these countries and you play in a national stadium and these things were built just from brick and concrete and they're old and they have, they have character and they have meaning. And we've never had that in America and based on performances and results and, and, Dos Acero and... Well, we kind of... Yeah, we kind of did have it in Columbus. We created that in Columbus.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And, you know, the... And I say that because the feeling was we're going to play Mexico in Columbus or we're going to win. Like, there was just... There was never a sense of anything other than that mentality. And it did. It had everything to do with it was small and metal and we knew it was going to be cold. And so, as a player, you walked off that bus match day minus one or...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Um, you know, or pregame, you just felt the chill in the air and you thought we're going to win. And so that for me was, uh, I think Cincinnati, you know, in terms of new stadiums, I just haven't been, uh, to a lot of them, but I think Cincinnati seems like they've got a cool thing going. So maybe, maybe I'll get to visit, um, this season, but certainly, um, playing would have been cool.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Go ahead, Tim. No, after you. I'm going backseat in this one.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Well, I mean, it's hard to add to that explanation, which was thorough and insightful. I think that just from the value of the tournament, I like it. I like that when you... There's a dollars and cents aspect to this, so that has to stay on one side of the line. I mean, that's a completely different part of the conversation. From the player side, again, I've been on...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
on teams in MLS where you just think we're probably not going to win the league here, but this is a really awesome opportunity for us to have a cup run and win a cup. Um, you know, being an owner in Memphis, winning an open cup game, even a one round beating an MLS team, like it drives your season tickets. It drives, um, excitement in the city. So like that, that, that plays a huge factor.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And I know with, with Houston, obviously they won the open cup before, right before I got there, but that's a huge deal for our club, the Houston Dynamo and for the city. So I think there's, look, there's two parts of the conversation that ultimately have to get married, but I like the tournament.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Love that. Also, we need you guys to send in your questions. We're going to have an episode. on February 4th about promotion relegation. Oh, yeah. Good point. Promotion relegation. I'm excited about this. Who doesn't want to talk about that, bud? It's awesome. We're going to light a few fires. It's what everybody wants to talk about. I think it's so exciting on both sides of the argument.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
So we're going to have a lot to say about that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Love it. Love it. Jay. All right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying, but keep going. That's true.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yep. Yep. There are a lot of things I hate. Let me start by saying that. I hate NFL refereeing. I hate it. So much so, I remember getting on this rant. And I text my producer at NBC, Pierre Moussa, the great Pierre Moussa. And he's produced more NFL games than you've ever seen in Premier League games. And I think he was like, why are you calling me? And I was like, hang on a second. Listen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
With the Premier League, from being in England, all they do is talk about refereeing. You talk about the game, you talk about refereeing. And then what beer you're going to have in the pub. That's all anyone cares about, right? So referees' decisions are huge in the Premier League, right? And in soccer in general. And I was saying to myself, these guys get let off the hook so often. NFL referees.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Pass interference that wasn't pass interference? Well, they're just going to be a spot foul, 15 yards, whatever it is. Let's get on with it. Yeah, but that put them in field goal position, and then they won the game. Like, it's so annoying when you see some of these things from the refereeing standpoint.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
What I would say about Patrick Mahomes is we must be on the same page because I, before this became headline news, I would think that all the time. I'd be like, why don't you just, this linebacker's running, a million miles an hour at you just tiptoe the sideline, step out of bounds and get hit. Because by the way, referee's going to call, um, what is it? Roughing or late hit or whatever it is.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah. Referee's going to call it. So you might as well use that to your advantage. Listen, every, every advantage is, is important. And by the way, your, your, your quarterback can do it too. Cause quarterbacks are protected. So, um, You know, I love, I'm obviously a Giants fan, but I love what Patrick Mahomes is doing. It's exciting. Love him or hate him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I tell my daughter all the time, like, if they're hating on you, you're doing something right. So, you know, it's, I don't, I think it'd be really hard for them to three-peat, but by God, they got every chance to do it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Look, I've got strong feelings on this. I think, and I've seen it in my own teams, it's idiotic. It's idiotic. And it's an oversight in the game plan and preparation because... Because with all of the set pieces and all of the details in terms of tactics in the best teams and all the teams I've played on before you go out or in the team talk, it's,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And now it happens in global football everywhere. You're like, just don't touch the guy because he's going to go out. Correct.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
You're a poor son. He's a Galaxy fan. He's a Kansas City fan. You're setting him up for massive, massive… He's a LeBron fan too, isn't he? Tell me. He's a LeBron fan.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I didn't even know people sat back there. Shout out to Southwest. If you're listening to the podcast, you know, we take upgrade vouchers.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah, I do. I played with a guy at Everton, Mohamed Bezic. And it was when Roberto Martinez was the manager. My guy comes strolling in in a white Lambo. Gorgeous. Gorgeous, right? And he whips it into the player's parking lot, just gets out, strolling with it a little bit of time, wash bag, everything's cool. That was my guy too. And sure enough, next day, Mo ain't got the Lambo.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
So we're like, where'd your Lambo go? And he's like, the gaffer said I have to get rid of it. What? Roberto Martinez was like, he saw because, you know, with the manager's office. Yeah, you can see that. He said, the seat's too low. You're going to have hamstring injuries. And he made him sell it. Because he thought it was physically bad for him? Yeah. God bless him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I thought he was going to say it was too flashy. Mo was one of the best guys I ever played with. He was like, okay, I sold the land. Poor fella.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I know him from North Carolina or something.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
You're on penalties, and if you're not on the pitch or if you've taken a knock, the second person's on penalties. That's it. There's no discussion. And oftentimes, when there is a tussle like that, then the manager afterwards, I've had this happen, then the manager's like, okay, we're setting and deciding who our penalty taker is. Like, to me, it's idiotic.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I remember that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah, thank you for me, everybody. Thanks to our presenting sponsor, VW, and everything they do, our fan connection sponsor, AT&T. Thank you all. Have an amazing week. Look forward to seeing you next Tuesday with another edition of Unfocused Soccer. See you soon.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
You have to have one penalty taker or two They need to be designated by the manager and that's it. There is no arguing. I don't think it's character. I don't, I think it's absurd. I really, really do. The only time, the only time that I ever, and by the way, you said you've, you are the penalty taker and you've given the ball to people. That's the person who has a responsibility.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
They want to give it away. You can give it away. The only time I would ever say that a penalty taker should give the ball away is if his teammate is on, is on a hat trick. That's the only time for me because hat tricks are so special and so rare, but otherwise no, like take the penalty and be done with it. So, so there were two times. Yeah. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
No, I'm okay. Yeah. Look, young kids. It's, um, you know, the other side of the argument is they're in the shop window. They want to get the goal. It's there. you know, it'd be their first or one of their first few goals with the national team. They want to impress the coach. So I get that side of it. It's not that big of a deal. I get it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Give me the ball. Don't ask Clint. Clint will bang that thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
So well, and then also Patrick Ajamang, big credit to him, scored his first goal. Obviously, that's that's special for him, for his family, for everybody. So got to make mention of that as well. And hopefully that will continue into the next game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah. It was. No, I think there... I know you spoke to some people at U.S. Soccer. I think there is... There are moments, particularly with this camp, you have a few more luxuries in terms of the management. And I've been a part of...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
uh camps where sometimes a guy maybe comes in to be a part of the the team or be a part of the first week um maybe from the coaching staff to say hey you're on our radar type thing or hey we we like you and want you to be around the setup and it's an opportunity to come and be around the setup yeah actually maybe you're not completely fully fit so we're not going to push you um and look he's dealt with injuries
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
He's dealt with injuries last season. And so I do think that is important. And having, you know, again, I think that Pochettino's building bridges. We saw a little bit of that, we think, when he sent Christian Pulisic back to AC Milan before the Mexico game. And maybe he's doing that now with Seattle, right? Maybe he's saying, look, new times, new player. We're going to need him at some point.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
And maybe... When we need to push them, we're going to need to lean on that. So there's all types of different things that go into these decisions.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
You know, it's hard. I, I find it difficult. Not that I ever tried. Right. But I find it difficult to criticize Tyler Adams because he always delivers. He just always delivers. Yeah. It's the, it's the mentality he has. It's the type of kid he is. Yeah. The difference is, though, I watched the game and there was something different. There was a sparkle.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
I like to say he has the bit between his teeth, but he always has that. I think when you're fit, and we both know this, when you're fit, fit. Not like...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
just getting by or still have a little bit of a niggle or maybe you're fit but in the back of your mind you're worried like that performance to me was tyler adams with zero worries zero concerns fully fit fully confident and and again it's he oftentimes has that but but dealing with the injuries that he's that he's had
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
you all that creeps into your mind um and mentally uh oftentimes that can that can affect your performance but this just you know when you talk about if you've ever seen tyler adams at his absolute best that that was him on the weekend and so like you're just thinking well done to himself the physio staff bournemouth getting him fit um and really being up to speed because he's a joy to watch and he's he's a special player he really truly is and so
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
So what were you doing in New Orleans?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
As you said, for USMNT fans, like long may that continue.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
Yeah. And by the way, the caveat to that is if you've never seen how
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT vs Venezuela Recap, Everton Shock Spurs, and the Worst Manchester United Team Ever?!
italian teams defend it's not normal right like so you know in certain in certain countries you can go oh yeah chuck the guy right back and just stick no italians defend like nobody else on the planet and it's so systematic and it's so drilled so the fact you know again talk about big credit to weston the fact that he can just slot in and play well right like it's not an easy thing to do in italian football but you know i also think
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
You're lucky you don't play much, but good, good on you. The club's first major trophy. You'd have to say the best day in their history. You think, right. Phenomenal. Just the scenes were incredible. I just congrats to them. It was, it was so fun to watch.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Beautiful place, huh?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
What a place.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
That's awesome. It was so fun to watch. And there's the yin and the yang here, Tim. The other side is City. And I know they were aggrieved about the Dean Henderson incident with the red card. As you said earlier, it's denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity. I think I would agree it wasn't obvious. It was a possible goal scoring opportunity.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
No, I can't leave. The only reason I'm leaving is to go play golf. I'm leaving today for Jamaica. It's amazing. Boys trip, golf trip. Can't wait. So let's get this thing done.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
But for me, the bigger moment, and Tim, I cannot understand this for the life of me. For someone who is so meticulous, so thought out, so prepared, every detail matters to Pep Guardiola. To go into a cup final and you're not sure who is taking your penalty kicks is absolute embarrassment. It's embarrassing. So for people who didn't see, they got a penalty.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Erling Haaland, who always has taken their penalties recently. Yeah. gives the ball off to Omar Marmoosh. to let him take it. And after the game, when Pep was asked about it, he said, I thought Holland would want to take it. These are things for them. That moment for the free kick, for the penalty, it's the feeling and how they feel. I want to emphasize that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
They decided Omar was ready to take it. Henderson made a good save. Bullshit, dude. You don't go into a final with, I feel like this should happen. I feel. You go into your pregame meeting, you say, if there's a penalty... He takes it. If he's not on the field, he takes it. If he's not on the field, he takes it. There's no ambiguity. There's no fighting over the ball.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
There's no, oh, I don't feel... Now, in the moment, if Erling Haaland's leg is hanging by a thread because it just got snapped and he says, I can't do it, fine. I get it. But this drives me crazy. And coaches, big coaches all over the world do it. And I cannot figure out why. I cannot figure out why.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
But Tim, you're bringing in too much You're bringing in too much outside, too much chance, too much. If you just make it clear for the player, this is, he does it on every corner kick, you're taking the corner. You line up here, you line up there, you line up there. It's not like, I don't get it. Don't leave it up to like, oh, I just don't, just make it clear.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
And then the player doesn't have to think about it. Now Marmush is like, oh shoot, I wasn't the guy supposed to be. But now I'm here taking it and now I'm nervous.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
All right. Can we get this done so I can go? Let's roll. All right. As always, guys, follow us on social media, Unfiltered Soccer. Subscribe to the show. I just realized our subscribers are jumping lately. You must have said something funny. Fun. Interesting. Subscribe on YouTube. Make sure you follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts. You can leave a review, rate us.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
You mean the red card?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
All right, let's take a break. When we come back, Tim, very, very exciting guest we have on the show. U.S. national team fans, you will love this. Do not want to miss it. Right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. We'll be right back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
All right. Well, I had the immense pleasure and misfortune of coaching against this man. with San Diego Loyal when he was with El Paso Locomotive. And watching him live, you knew there was something different about him, something special. I can't in good faith say I saw him coming this fast into MLS and doing well and this fast into the national team, but I did think the potential was there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Without further ado, Real Salt Lake and U.S. Men's National Team Rising Star, Diego Luna. Diego, welcome, my friend.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
We're good, man. How are you? We're doing good. You're having quite a year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
So Diego, we want to touch about on what's going on recently with your rise, and it's happened maybe for you, not quickly, but for a lot of fans who are just tuning in recently to the national team. I think you really announced yourself in January. I want to take people back to where you started. So you grew up in Sunnyvale. Is that right? Northern California?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Okay. And you were part of the earthquake system, right? The youth Academy system. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. And then I want to start. And cause I think this is interesting for people to hear when we, when I was coaching in USL, a lot of times kids are talking about, I want to be an MLS. I want to be an MLS. I want to join an MLS team. I want to join an MLS roster.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
I want to be, and we would say to, we would say to some of these young kids, The most important thing for you at 16, 17, 18 is to be playing soccer games now. You are developing well, but if you're on an MLS roster, you're not going to play.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
We had some good comments. I was looking at the comments. I think JR is going to get into it. Some good stuff this week. Some great stuff. And as always, email us at feedback at unfiltered soccer. All right, Timmy, Rivalry Week. Yes, in MLS. I love this. I didn't realize it actually until I kind of like started looking through my app to see the games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
I want to know why you made the decision to not go into an MLS academy and to go to a USL team where you had a much better chance of playing and then eventually prove yourself and played. So why did you make that decision?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
It's really unique because nowadays, like I said, people are so obsessed with getting to the highest level as fast as possible and they forget about playing. And we see it with kids saying, I want to go to Europe. I want to go to Europe. And I always say, well, what does that mean? You can go to Europe and you can sit on a bench and never play soccer. Exactly. And that doesn't help you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
So I want to commend you for that because I think you're a great now story for other young kids to look at and say, I don't have to be in an MLS academy. Maybe I can go somewhere else and play soccer games and get better and better. And would you say, my guess is, At 16, 17, you're playing against full-grown men. You're competing now.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
to earn a starting spot versus playing against 17 and 18 year olds. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Nothing like crazy from these rivalry games, but they were good. And I love this and I love this about soccer and I love this about sports. And these weeks are the best. I just loved it. I loved when I was with San Jose, we played LA. I loved when I was with LA, we played San Jose. I loved when I was with the galaxy, we played Chivas, um, had the fortune to play in the Merseyside Derby one time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Yeah, Tim, I mean, we have kids, right? So I start to wonder how much of that is just natural versus how much does your environment or your parents or your upbringing play into that. And I'm sure it's a mix of all that. But take us back, Diego, because I think this is the moment, and this is what Tim is talking about.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
This is the moment that put you on the map for a lot of people, that Costa Rica game in January, right? So you get called into January camp. with a bunch of other guys who are sort of on the fringe or not really in the national team yet. Yeah. So walk us through the game. You get hit in the face. I think an elbow, right? Hits you and you're bleeding. And can you take us through that moment?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Because you end up coming back on the field and a lot of people kind of turn their heads and we're like, Oh, this kid, this kid like really wants it. Like really, really wants it. And I, and I think I'm setting this up Diego because we've,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
And I'm not going to ask you to touch on this, but we've been frustrated with some of the guys in our national team who just don't have that same level of pride and care for their national team. So walk us through that moment.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Um, it's just fun. It's just different and it just feels different.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Diego, I want to hear about your evolution at RSL. I think you've been incredibly fortunate to have Pablo there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
incredibly fortunate now to have Mauricio there and these are two two guys who grew up either grew up in South America or have a South American mentality which is also a fighter right and I've seen you evolve and and I've talked to Nate Miller your assistant coach there a lot about you I've seen you evolve in A lot of ways. You're not now just a playmaker. You are now a goal scorer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
You are, I think, your team's now best defender from the front. You counter-press well. You defend well. You have changed that part of your game. And as I'm sure you learned with the national team, if you don't do that, if you just walk around the field and think you can just attack, you got no chance, right? So can you walk me through how Pablo and Nate have helped you in that way? Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Of course. Yeah. And Diego, you've, look, you've proven that that is the path that certainly works for you. Right. And I would encourage you to always remember that that is the path that works for you. Right. So you went very unconventionally to El Paso, but you said, I'm going to give myself the best chance to play. Now you go to Salt Lake and I don't know, you know,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
what the conversations were, where the possibilities were, but Salt Lake was a great club because it was a club that would play you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
And so now if you're going to, if you do end up moving six months, a year, two years, five years, then you have to, I think, remember this is a place where I am going to have a chance to play.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Because I think getting to know you now, you would be miserable sitting on a bench somewhere.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
100%.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Diego, last couple things. Last thing for me. Can you walk us through... Tim and I know this feeling well. You are now almost a year away from potentially playing in a World Cup, right? And I think at one point, Tim and I were very much probably where you are, which is, I would say...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
somewhere on the bubble leaning towards in based on recent performances, but you have to play well in order to, you know, that, you know, there are a lot of good players that play the position you play for the national team. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Yeah, my challenge now, Tim, is that I don't think players really care much about it anymore. And I'm generalizing here. If you've been with a team for a long time, you absolutely care. But there's just so much player movement now. I'm not sure. When the fans are so into it and so... then you feel that a little bit.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
So can you take us in your mind right now and just help listeners understand what it's like to dream about next summer and, and just walk us through what, what you think about and dream about.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
In a World Cup at home, by the way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
it's um it's something very exciting i think yeah all right i know tim's last question is about your tattoos so go ahead tim
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Yeah, Diego, let's make an agreement right now. If you make the World Cup team, you're going to get a tat. Perfect. I don't know what it'll be. You decide. You think about it. Maybe you already have. Um, but let's hope we're all, we're all, we're all wishing for you to have that success. And look, man, as someone who has again, watched you in person, uh, stay humble, man, stay humble.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
You are, you are inspiring all of us and it's sad to say, but you're, you're in a generation now where People don't view it the same way you do and just keep grinding, keep getting better defensively running all the little things that aren't fun, but that are going to make you a top player. It's, it's been an honor to watch you play, man. And I'm wishing you the very best.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
And I felt it when we played at Anfield, and I felt it in the locker room from you guys that this was different. But I don't know how many players actually really care anymore. I think it's just like, okay, it's a little more exciting. It's a little, but... The only caveat to that is when you play with your national team against your rival. So everybody, US-Mexico, just got it. They just got it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
All right, let's take a quick break. When we're back, we will dive into all of your fan questions and the AT&T fan connection and talk anything but soccer right here on unfiltered soccer with Landon and Tim, as always presented by Volkswagen. Stay right there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
And they enjoyed that thrilling 0-0 draw.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Congrats, Twitter people.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
And I think they still do, not counting the last US-Mexico game, which was a total disaster in Mexico from our standpoint. But I don't know how much guys truly, really care about it. anymore, unless they've been with the team for a long time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
I mean, the reality is in the end, one person makes all these decisions, right? And that's what people have to remember in sports is one person. Now people have input and they talk about it, whatever, but one person makes it. So if one person in this case, Juergen was not, on the Eddie Johnson train, then that's all that matters. Right. Do I think Eddie Johnson should have been there? Probably.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Yeah. I know Eddie cared. That's for sure. And he had obviously all the ability. So I think, yeah, I would say, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
His little machine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Yeah, I did say that last week.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
I have a book in the making. It's a crazy process. I hate it. I'm going to be honest.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
It's a crazy process. I believe there are links going up soon on my website if people want to learn more. I appreciate Marcello asking. He's right on brand. Thank you. I'll send you money later, Marcello. Yeah, there are links. There'll be more info to come. It's not going to be released till March of next year. So we got time, but I believe there are links, early order links on my website.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
I'm pumped to read it, man. If you want to go check it out. I don't know. You might want to pump the brakes. Did I get a mention? I don't know. I'll search the document for Tim Howard.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
The fans absolutely care.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
That's fine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
It's a lot in there. It's not really a soccer book. So just a little forewarning. There's soccer in there, but it's about me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Can you imagine? I think about even like writers after like a game and trying to like put out an article and get every word right. And then you have to do it with like time pressure. Oh my God.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
It's on to the next one. I know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Anyway, it's amazing. Go buy it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Well, if you saw our shoot last week in San Diego, we had Tim put the gloves on, I think. I had to put the boots on. There is 0.0 hope. Zero. You know, I'm still sore, Tim. I swear to you. Oh, I believe that. I swear on my family. I'm still sore. And that was four days ago.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
In the group text, just so everyone knows, they were asking us, are you guys okay doing some whatever? And Tim wrote, he said, I don't really want to put gloves on if I don't have to.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
All right, anything but soccer this week, Tim. There's a gentleman, I know you don't follow hockey probably that closely, for the Florida Panthers, Brad Marchand. This dude chooses chill all the time. He is now, I want to get this right, He is now beating the Toronto Maple Leafs. So game seven was last night. The Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
He was with the Boston Bruins before, now plays for the Panthers. Marshawn is the first player in NHL history to defeat the same opponent in at least five winner-take-all games. He has beaten the Maple Leafs. He himself with his team. Five times in a row in game seven. Five times in a row. So I'm sure he's in the locker room. He's like, dudes, don't worry. It's the Maple Leafs. It's me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
We're good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
I feel bad for the Leafs, man. My dad's a diehard, lifelong Maple Leafs fan. And even before the game last night, he's like, they got Brad Marchand. The Leafs, we've lost whatever, how many of these in a row? Six or seven in a row now. In game sevens. It's not going to happen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
He's like, no, that's not going to happen. And sure enough, second period. The Panthers score a goal. Within like four minutes, it's 3-0. And could have been four. They had one called back. And I'm just like, oh, my God. Anyway, big cheers. Let's pop open a can, Timmy. Brad Warshon, congrats to you, man. It hurts. It hurts. But cheers to you. Cheers. Let's chill, my friend.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
As always, thank you guys for being with us. Thank you for joining us as always. Remember to subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anywhere you get your podcasts. And as always, follow across all of our different social media. There's lots of bonus content on there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
All right. Last night, my galaxy, God first. So we score early worker rice scores early kind of lucky just bounces off and I'm like, all right, here we go. I have all my nice, nasty tweets ready to go for the LAFC fans. Such a troll. And next thing I know, we're down 2-1. And then Marco Reus comes true at the end. 2-2. Game was fun. It was entertaining.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
LAFC will feel like they gave away a couple points. Still winless for the Galaxy. And meanwhile, during all of this, after we interviewed Will Kuntz, Tim... Greg Vanney did get a multi-year contract extension, and according to all the reports, that will make him one of the highest paid coaches in the league. Thoughts?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
I think it's the right thing. I think the timing is questionable and I don't, I guess I don't know how long you can wait. Right. I'm thinking just wait till you win one game, just win one game. And then, you know, because it's just brutal right now, but I don't know. And there's been no signs that, that they are going to win a game soon.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Yeah, and that starts, Tim, the very top with Phil Anschutz, the owner, and then beneath him, the man who really runs the show, phenomenal human being who does things always the right way, Dan Beckerman. And so to your point, he's just like, it's fine. Like, we're going to be fine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Yeah. I think it's real. Oh, no. I mean, it is real. And I'll tell you what, the defining moment for me personally was when I went back and had, when they unveiled the statue.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Of me. They played LAFC that day. Wow. And the corner section up where the LAFC fans were like, I don't know, they were saying some really, like, chanting some nasty things at me. And I'm like, these are probably some of the same fans that used to come to Galaxy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, like, they were all in. And I was like, okay, this is real.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Well, every now and again, you mean once.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
It's fun. And it's great for the city. Good. All right, Tim, I need a little bit of, I'm going to go on a little bit of a rant here.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Our listeners are here for it. we've been giving one team in MLS a massive pass and, and it's just finally catching up and I'm really like started paying attention and that's Atlanta. And so it wasn't a rivalry game, they, but they did lose at home to Philly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
They're second to bottom in the East. They've got 11 points from 14 games. Eight straight without a win.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
We all thought this was the year they brought Omarone back. They brought Ronnie Daly in. Daly, former MLS Cup champion with NYCFC, signed Emmanuel Latelath. And they've just been awful. Awful. And I got to say, If you are an Atlanta United fan, this is absolutely unacceptable. They fill out that stadium every week. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is packed every week. They're passionate.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
And at some point, you've got to look at it and go, this ain't good enough. Not good enough. It's a mess. It's a total mess. We've been given New England crap and D.C. United crap. Atlanta needs to figure it out. This is not okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Yeah, that's a lot.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Yeah. And the, the, here's the thing, Tim, the difference between Emmanuel Latela and the next best five strikers in the league is not 22 million versus two or 3 million. Right. It's like, it's just not, he's not going to score you 47 goals instead of 22. So you just, it's hard to justify it. Um, I don't want to spend too much time. I'm just putting it out there and people need to pay attention.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
And it's for a club of that size and for Arthur Blank and everything he's now doing for soccer, like he has done for Home Depot and the NFL, needs to be better. Agreed. All right, let's move on to USLNT and USMNT. We just want to touch on a couple of things. US Soccer announced two upcoming friendlies for the national team. I love this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
September 6th against South Korea in New Jersey and September 9th against Japan in Columbus. This is phenomenal work by a guy you know well, one of the most underappreciated humans in US Soccer, Tom King, who goes out and works these things out and figures out the deal. These are two teams that are... Definitely going to be in the World Cup. South Korea is one win away.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
And I think they play Kuwait at home in their last qualifier. So they are both going to be in the World Cup. They're good opponents that will bring good level. I'm really excited about this. I think it's a really good opportunity for the team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
I can't wait. Again, great job by Tom King and US Soccer. And those are going to be two really, really good friends. All right. Buckle your seatbelt to make it home safely. Don't risk it. Ticket or ticket. Paid for by NHTSA. NHTSA is always reminding us, Tim, to get strapped in every time we get in our car. And one team that we can say was definitely strapped in this weekend, Crystal Palace.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
No, you don't want to mess with my house, dude.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Kudos to you. Applause to you. Congrats to your colleague, Rebecca Lowe. I saw the videos of her celebrating and crying. Massive. They beat Man City 1-0. Chris Richards and Matt Turner now become the second and third ever American men to win the FA Cup alongside some... bald, tatted up guy that I talk to once a week.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And that's okay because their job to my, my job isn't to score. My job is to organize a team behind them and give them all the support. And all they should be worried about is scoring. You know, the, the,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
my final thought on Pepe is this because I've, I've given this advice to myself, to my daughter who plays, I've given it to younger teammates, coaches at, at the level he's at playing in Europe with the U S men's national team. Coaches are scared to death to lose their jobs. What does that mean? They're going to play the people who think that they can win them the game, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
So if you're a striker and you're scoring and you're not playing, my advice is your manager probably has an office. And on that office, I'm almost certain he has a door. You go knock on that door and you simply say, Gaffer, I enjoy playing for you. I know you like me because you're giving me a bit of an opportunity, right? But I'm scoring goals and I can't get in the team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
What can I do to get in the team? And by the way, it's not talking in the press and it's not saying I should do that. It's just going up to your manager and going, I'm scoring goals.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And there's something else because your job's on the line every game and you're not picking me. And I want you to pick me. If you get what I'm saying.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
He was as nasty as they come. He was as nasty as they come. And, you know, the one that comes to mind because he's in the press is Ruud van Nistelrooy. And, you know, his goal scoring record at Manchester United was amazing. Watch Ruud van Nistelrooy. Every time he gets the ball, you know where he plays it? Wide. You know why he plays it wide?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Because he wants it back in the box. He's not playing – he's not playing anybody through the lines to score. He's playing it wide. And again, and you train with these guys and it's not just in the game. You train with them and they're nasty and they want, you know, you're thinking you're close range. Don't hit it. Like we're in training. They try and take your head off.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And it's like, these, these are the, these are the players at the top level. You have to be nasty. And it's, and, and that's the, for me, that's the best trait. It really truly is.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Yeah, and look, the advice to him is simply this. I think... What people forget on the outside, I think what good goal scorers forget, you know, at times, even at that level, is goal scoring is important. It's the most important. It's the hardest thing to do in football, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But holding the ball up, which I thought he did well tonight, bringing your team into play, running the channels, chasing and tackling. Again, I thought he did that really well tonight. So this is his opportunity. And like I said, I'm okay with guys talking. I am. As long as you're backing it up and as long as you're saying, I want to play, I'm hungry, I'm selfish, get me on the pitch.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I got no issue with it. And tonight, from what he said about the super sub moniker to tonight and him putting the performance in, if he keeps that up, no issues at all.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Well, yes. The worry for me, and I feel great about the result. The worry for me is this was a conca calf, two leg, home and away, exactly the way it was supposed to look. Going down to Jamaica, the pitch is terrible. Everyone complains about the pitch, which, by the way, is by design if you've been in the game long enough.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And tactically he prefers the profile drifting left and he kind of dances on the ball and he drags people with them. Look, I think the midfield is stout enough and robust enough to kind of handle it when he drifts away from the middle. And my, my final takeaway, as you said, we're putting a bow on this is, and I, and this can't be understood because it's going to sound basic.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
We, we all and Pochettino would prefer to dissect all of this and having one for two, having one away from home, right? And I know that sounds simplistic, but it's true. When you're not getting results, in fact, let me speak to where he was at Chelsea. He had ideas at Chelsea, but he wasn't getting the results, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And when you're not getting the results, the pressure, the scrutiny, it comes on, even when you're doing the right things. And by the way, by the end of his tenure at Chelsea, at the end, they were playing really well. Right. But he didn't get enough results. And so when you look at when you look at this U.S. team, we can dissect things and we can break it down, which we are and everybody will.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
The fans and the coaches and pundits alike. But it's much better to do it from this lofty perch than having lost and going, oh, boy, we got to change something. So speaking of Greg, Greg Berhalter was at the game with Bruce Arena. Right. How do you feel about this? It feels a little bit too early.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I'm not going. I'm not going.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
To hell with my former employer. I'm out. I want him to lose every game. I've said it here.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I was like, what are you talking about?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
cautiously optimistic what i've seen so far i like i like the reaction of the team but i think it's still early for me and i don't want to get crazy hyped so yeah i i i think with i think pochettino is a very good coach and he's a right coach for this group you know the when it comes to quality throughout the squad that's where he's going to earn his money right is is trying to get the best out of
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
These teams know that we get on these pristine pitches in America, and we play them off the park. So what do you do? You leave it long. You leave it nasty. You make it a dogfight. Okay, so that's fine. Everybody is wanting to know, like, what is –
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Not the best players. Our best players have been doing really well, by the way. And credit, by the way, we haven't said his name. Credit to Tim Weh. I mean, the strike. You want to talk about a guy in form. As soon as it came off of his thigh, I thought... It's still rising when it hits the net. It's incredible.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
So getting the best out of the complete squad, not just our best players, is going to be where his mark is left. So is he the right manager for the job? Yes. Is he a really top manager? Yes. But as we go, we'll see how he can lift up the base of that squad.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Can I tell you something? If you're a betting person, bet the house that Mexico somehow will be in the Gold Cup. There's not a scenario where Mexico would allow to not be in the Gold Cup. Let me tell you that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And we want that. We want the best team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
How can one just...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
pochettino going to change what's his mark on the team going to look like right you want to have an identity of a team and and when you look at poch at his best it's a solid some sort of semblance of a of a 442 this team kind of lends itself to having maybe three, three attackers up front, but he likes to play through lines. He likes to be systematic and and pragmatic.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Just finished up talking about U.S. men's national team. To continue on with that theme, LD, around CONCACAF, big story. We could probably call this segment Blood and Thunder, but we won't in a not-so-funny way. Mexican manager Javier Aguirre gets hit in the head. I mean, incredible scenes. Hit in the head with a beer can. as they lose to Honduras, but massively splits them open blood everywhere.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Like just go, there's your runway. Tell me your thoughts on this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Let me read that too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And tell our listeners why you have such a problem with this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Well, I think I remember recently in the Nations League final or something, or a couple of times when we played Mexico recently, I remember on corner kicks, Christian Pulisic having to stall to take the corner because he's getting things thrown at him. So I totally agree with that. Aguirre has handled himself brilliantly, better than I would.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And I and I tend to think or I tend to like about him. He relies on his best players to go win the game, right? He's not trying to he's not trying to overcomplicate it. And yes, Christian Pulisic
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
You know, I remember a time when Manchester United was playing Man City at Man City and Rio Ferdinand goes to celebrate a goal and someone throws like a pound coin, bro, from the stands and it hits him in and around the eye area. And I'm like, if that's a centimeter lower, like he's blind for life. Like this is a stupid... I just don't understand. Well, I know it's the mob mentality, but...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
For all these people that think it's funny, which by the way, it's crept into college football in a big way, which is really, really, really bad. And Matthew McConaughey came out and talked about it at the University of Texas recently. Like, you can't do it. And the thing that annoys me the most is I'm somebody who's really big on like, be who you are all the time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
If you're a tough guy all the time, be a tough guy all the time. I don't care. I could care less. If you think I'm the biggest a-hole, say it. Don't ask for my autograph. Just say, I don't like you. I'm cool with that. I'm super, super cool and respect people.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But this kind of like these people throwing things, particularly like they wouldn't in the grocery store, pick up a can of soup and throw it at you. No chance.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Right. It's cowardice. It's cowardice. And the crazy thing is I actually would rather get hit with a soup can in the grocery store than like having a projectile from the upper deck that's just warp speeding at my face, right? So like... Yeah, it's incredible.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
as we already know has been in sensational form he's done that again um our midfield is our strength there's no doubt about it um which again is a positive sign because so often in the past it's always been staunch defensively and try and nick a goal from somewhere there's some creativity and there's some there's some real ideas in that midfield look up front with pepe he's getting the goals which is important and with flo being out injured
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And interestingly enough, LD, to our listeners, hit us up at Unfiltered Soccer and throw some comments in there. Actually throw, no pun intended. But have you been next to somebody in the stadium who's thrown things? Have you thrown things yourself? What are your thoughts on this? Because I think it has to get eradicated again just for simply safety reasons.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Totally. And the players, as you said, how does he use it? Can they rally around their coach? Speaking of rallying around your coach or not, Harry Kane had some interesting things to say about his fellow England players withdrawing from the national team. And obviously, we know that this is the last game under caretaker Lee Carsley.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Thomas Tuchel comes in for the next round of games as the New England managers but nine players pulled out of the England squad to face Greece last Thursday and Ireland on Monday Harry Kane the England captain as we know this bothered him he's got a very long quote about this and to summarize under Southgate the last manager Southgate's brought the joy back to playing for England and guys wanted to be around each other they were excited about coming into camp and then
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
There's a little bit that's in between, right? So Lee Carsey's the caretaker. Who's going to be the next manager? Tuchel gets named. So there's kind of that gray area now where I think what Harry Kane is saying is, hang on, we're taking a few liberties here. Like, it's supposed to be a joy to play for England anytime. Whether I'm the manager, you're the manager, Lee Carsey, whomever.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And he's saying he didn't appreciate that. And by the way, for me... As a captain, that's your right. In fact, that's your responsibility to speak up on behalf of the country, which continues the debate. And you've dealt with this and I've dealt with it. Club versus country. You hear it as like a blanket statement, club versus country.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But now is an actual time where our listeners and our fans can really get stuck into like, this is a real thing. Like the debate that players feel, the pressure that players feel to be available for club and country is a real thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Yeah, I mean, there's so much here. I think the fees, particularly at Premier League clubs around the world, have always been somewhat astronomical. Yes, they've gone up, but the argument was still the same. When the market value was less than 100 grand a week, maybe it was 50 grand a week, these were still top dollars for these teams, and they want their players fit.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But also playing for your national team, right? So there's a business side of this, which you mentioned. Playing for your national team and being a star for your national team, if you're a Newcastle player, also allows your feet to go up so I can then sell you on to Liverpool or whomever. I'm making that up, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
So it's still important for these clubs from a business standpoint that their players are available. It's a delicate balance. It's one that's really difficult to get right. Look, from my own personal experiences, LD, and we were together for, gosh, a long time on the national team. I played most of my career in England, and I lived in Manchester for 13 years. And I was always available.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Like, there was a greed to me. I wanted to be the greatest U.S. goalkeeper in the history of U.S. soccer, right? So I knew I had to, number one, be available. I had to be available so that I can play, and I had to play so I could be putting good performances, right? There's a concoction there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Winner stays on for me, right? Can you score consistently? If you can score consistently, then you keep the shirt. And right now, he's scoring the goals. He keeps the number nine shirt. And for the foreseeable future, until Flo can get healthy and challenged back for that. And look, defensively, again, as an overarching thought, defensively, that was not great.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But there was never a time, and you know this, you play on a Saturday, you get on a transatlantic flight on the Sunday morning. There was almost never a time, maybe one time I can think of, that I didn't allow myself to get on that plane, even if I was hurt. I said, I'm going to go get on that plane. I'm going to go to Chicago or LA, wherever our camp is. I'm going to get seen by our doctors.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And most importantly, LD, I'm going to give my body five days to recover. And even if I was injured, I could say, take the first two days off, work with the physio, get myself back in light training. I was going to give myself every single opportunity to be fit and available for the selection on the whatever, Saturday or Friday or Saturday, because it was so important to me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
to win as many games, win as many caps, save as many goals for the U.S. Men's National Team. Because for me, it was about what that looked like personally, which was on a selfish level. But then I wanted to be a part of greatness. I wanted to be a part of World Cups and qualifying. So always, always try to make myself available. So I appreciate what Harry Kane said.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
In fact, I texted him just the other day and I said, listen, mate, go well, good luck, but I also 100% agree with you. And he sort of chuckled and was just like, I don't really know what the big deal is. It's kind of what we all think.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Well, look, I think, and you know this, I think, you know, Gary Selke did such a good job of being front facing with the media, which is really difficult. And I think Harry Kane gets asked those hard questions. And I don't think he's, as the England captain, I don't think.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I don't think you're in a position to bat it back. You could. I don't think you're wrong in that, but I think he believed what he was saying, and it wasn't like a stain on one particular player. He was like, look, I just don't think you should pull out of England's squad. So I tend to agree with him on that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
That's a really good example. Let me give another example. Cause I'd be remiss if I didn't say this, like, um, The club versus country is, is everywhere. You and I can speak to what we know and what we know is us men's national team. And the fact of the matter was, you know, big shout out to Manchester, UK. It rains every God darn day.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I was delighted. I was delighted to get on the plane. I know it sounds funny, right? Like I wanted to play for my country, but I was like, you know, I got, I get a week and a half with my guys. And by the way, that's important. My guys, I wanted to see you. I wanted to see Jay DeMeritt. I wanted to see bees. I wanted to see all my guys. And the fact of the matter is I've been in the dressing room.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
with guys who didn't, they were not that bothered to play for England because as Harry Kane said, this is important. Southgate brought the joy back. So from 2002, when I got to England, 2016, when I left, they had a multitude of managers and the England players talked very, very strongly and openly about at England camp, there was a Manchester United table at dinner.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I won't say poor, but if I'm Pochettino, I think he's going in there and you saw him on the bench a little bit after the second goal goes in, he scratched his head a little bit, right? Because for all the people that think that this is, this is going to sound dour, it's about growth and maturity, right? So like, to be winning the game so big in St. Louis is great.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
There was a Liverpool table at dinner. They didn't like each other. The divide between clubs was so strong that it infiltrated their national pride. You and I didn't have that. We couldn't wait to get on. So I knew players that were like, don't feel like going in or went to the physio and said, I've got to knock. Hamstring's too tight. Not going to England. Can you ring them? Right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Which we... Conceptually, we didn't have that because we truly... I mean, you look at the picture behind me. There was love on our team. We loved each other. There wasn't this club... loyalty that blocked us. So I think you experienced that as well.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Yeah, well, it's interesting because I'll answer that question. After the 2014 World Cup, I took a year out from the National Team as well. Oh, that's right. In our comments, I'm going to get slaughtered for that because on one hand, I said I'm always available.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Listen, I got divorced. Life was hell, and I needed to see my kids. So that was my reasoning. And I appreciate anybody who has those comments and gives me heck for it. I'm okay with it. On the outside, it was nothing. I think as players, you understand. I think as players, certainly myself and some of the other top players, you're like, damn, I kind of wish I was Landon.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I could use a break too, right? There was no hate. And also, by the way, you, myself, I could probably name on that team, four other players, five other players who probably deserve the right to say, Hey, I need to exhale here for a second. Give me the problem is Juergen Klinsmann, which we can touch on in many more episodes. Isn't a great coach.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Um, I've got a big problem with him as a person and yes, he holds grudges against players. Um, But that's his prerogative. And thankfully, we somehow got through it. But no, from our end, from a player standpoint, there was no beef. We were just delighted to get you back healthy, fit, and ready to rock and roll.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And by the way, I think we're ahead of our time because you know what people are talking about in 2024? Mental health. Taking a break. Having a balance. So I'm just putting it out there as we were progressive and ahead of our time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But you forget this isn't about winning a game in St. Louis. This is about what that looks like when you play the biggest teams on the biggest nights. And that means, as you know, getting a lead, protecting the lead, and then at a certain point going, we're shutting up shop. We're not even giving this team a sniff.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Yeah, somewhat awesome, but precarious position. I mean, there's a lot of paper speak in England, if you don't know, and agents, I'm not necessarily throwing his agent under the bus, but agents have a lot of power in the media. I think for Christian, it's a tough position
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
decision um because he was in england at chelsea i thought he i thought he did some really good things at chelsea they were a little bit of a mess to be honest at the time when he was there got to short end of the stick he left he's then gone to by the way it's not like he's gone to like a kind of you know a wishy-washy club he's gotten one of like the most world-renowned clubs in the world ac milan doing brilliantly a star player for them you know when he was at dortmund he was playing really well really highly thought of so
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
He's much more mature now, right? You went through this. He's now a big player at a big club. Does he have something to prove? He's going to be the captain of the national team going to the next World Cup or thereabouts. So he might be sitting at home going, go back to England where I didn't have a great experience. For what? My bread is buttered. I feel good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Now, maybe the desire to play at a Liverpool or Manchester United, we know what that means to legacy. to your bank account. He's in such a good position. And what I would say is under Ruben Ameren or on a slot, particularly at United or Liverpool, if they're saying, look, we've got big plans for you here. Yeah, how do you say no to that? I think he goes, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Right. So you and I have strong opinions on this, but I'm going to put you on the spot. You're not Landon Donovan. You're Christian Pulisic. I wish. And Liverpool come in. They talk about the big plans they have for you. Playing in front of Anfield.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
If we happen to get a fifth goal, yeah, we'll celebrate it and everybody will be happy. But right now, we're just going to chill. And to be that open and exposed, because by the way, it wasn't just the two goals that Jamaica scored. They had other opportunities to capitalize and just didn't do it. So that needs to be looked at.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Good point. They probably double your wage, but you're not you. They double your wages or you go and you're staying.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Especially if they double the wages.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I'm off, mate. I'm off. Fleetwood Town, Macclesfield, Plymouth, double my wages. I'm off. Listen, we have to take a break. Coming back, we're going to talk about MLS second round matchups. One of our favorite segments, mailback questions where you get to hammer us or not. And then anything but soccer. There could be boxing and streaming and buffering getting talked about. We'll be back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
No, it's not. This just happens to be part of the U.S. landscape when it comes to scheduling. I was always an advocate for like, let's figure out a way to play a game. Right, if we play a USL team or a college team, it's not the same. But my point was like, let's pull our socks up. Let's have a dressing room team talk. Let's walk out of the dressing room onto the pitch with music.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Let's have a referee. Let's do something that feels similar. Obviously, the counter to that, and you know this, it's like, Imagine if you're starting left back, gets a knock, then you're kicking yourself. But I still think it's worth the risk because you still have some time to recover because you know as well as I do, that rust is a real thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
That whistle's going to blow for these guys, and it's going to feel like 22 days ago that the last whistle blew. And it's going to take a while. And I would imagine in some of these games, we're going to see one or two early mistakes, which could cost you your season. So I don't love it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But I'd rather look at that having 1-4-2 than maybe drawn 2-2, if that makes sense.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Uh, look, I think the, the dirty South Darby, as we've dubbed it, you know, Atlanta did the, the impossible and the unthinkable knocked off in a Miami and, uh, and messy. And so I think for Atlanta, I'm really interested in like one, there's been a 22 day layoff, but also by the way, have they exhaled? Because I wouldn't, I wouldn't fault them if they were like, whew, We just knocked off Messi.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
We did our job.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And you know the skipper Brad Guzan was like on the boat fishing, just chilling with his feet hanging out. So is he back? Obviously, I'm kidding. He was brilliant. Nearly MVP of that first round. So yeah, I'm excited to see what Atlanta has in store.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Yeah. I prefer a single league table the way they do around the world in the Premier League. That being said, and I'm almost someone who never, ever sits on the fence, I was part of... An MLS run, we got to the Western Conference finals and like lost. So yeah, it hurt. Hell yeah, I'd rather win a championship, right? Like after going on a long playoff run.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
So overall, I think I prefer a single table, but the excitement of winning a championship is like second to none.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
We decided we'd watch the game and give you our thoughts and when we go back to the rest of the show later on that was recorded this morning so LD interesting game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
It's a great answer. LD, uh, Matt, thanks for your question very quickly. I I'm an expert at this cause I went through it, um, as a, as a young player. And then I've just gone through it as a father. Um, with my daughter who's 17 years old and just committed to the University of Tennessee, go Vols to play soccer. But the US youth system is completely and utterly flawed.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And I don't say that to be dramatic. It's just, that's a disaster. It's a disaster. And one of the great things about where I am now in my career is I have a passion to help try and change that. Not easily done, but certainly lots of conversations around having it. Look, the simple part is that I went and watched my daughter's ECNL game this weekend. which I drove four hours for.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
So that's another talking point. And the best players get to 17 years old and they're still doing the same old dumb crap, right? Why is that? Here's why. Because when you're in Spain, when you're in Holland, when you're in England, you as a U16 coach, your job is to get that one particular kid ready for the U18s. It's not to win.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
It's to get Ross Barkley at Everton who plays on the U-16s to the U-18s. When the U-18s coach gets him, it's to get Ross Barkley to the under-21s. The under-21s coach, his job is not to win the under-21 championship.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
It's to get him to the first team. When you have young kids in America, all the directors of football who are getting paid $100,000, $200,000 at their respective clubs around the country, their job is to win. So they take a young girl like my daughter and her teammates, and they don't coach them.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
They don't tell them what's right and wrong because I know parents call in and then they call the director of football and say, my daughter is being talked to the wrong way. Their job in America is to win. So you don't criticize your number one, two, and three best players. You don't criticize them. You just make sure they're on the field doing what they do.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Correct. So the system's flawed. Great question. We'll touch more on that longer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Look, Moshiri owned the team, bought the team from Bill Kenwright, God rest his soul. And I think in eight years had seven managers and three directors of football. And obviously we know what happened with the profitability and sustainability rules that were breached. So big problems. Look, I think when you run a football team, the...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
The issue around the Premier League is, and fair play to all these owners, they think they know best. And so they run the club like they run probably their other businesses. And I think what needs to happen is the money needs to get put in. Then you have to bring in some really great people at top. And I do like, you know, to answer the Everton question, I do like what Manchester United is doing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Sir Jim Radcliffe and any else bought 25% of the club. Right. And part of that was, hey, look, they went to the Glazers. We need to have control of football operations. Boom. They got it. They then put Omar Barada in under, you know, under underneath Ineos. And then they brought Dan Ashworth in and so on and so forth.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
So they created this football hierarchy that's just in charge of making football decisions. And if I was director of football, that would mean I was part of that. I was part of that vertical hierarchy there. And I think that that's the starting point. From there, you can name the right coach and style of play and all that, but you have to get the board level right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Jordan, let me tie a bow on that. I talked about Bill Kenwright. He was dear to me in my career, in my personal life. And Landon, I know you had amazing interaction with him. He was the chairman for most of my 10 years, Everton. And to Landon's point, when Bill Kenwright was in his final days as chairman before he sold, he was taking pelters.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
The fans gave him grief like you wouldn't believe, right? Sell the club, all these things. And in my private conversations with Bill Kenwright, he basically told me, I grew up on the terraces. My grandfather brought me to the terraces to watch Everton Football Club. He says, I'm going to sell the club, Tim, but I have to find the right buyer who's going to take care of this club.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And, and, and his, it, it was prophetic because he was basically saying all the fans want bring money in. Okay. Well, we brought some money in what happened. So he, so his, his worry and his caution was great, was warranted because he didn't want to sell to someone who was just going to pump money in and lead the club in the wrong direction.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And in the end, certain fans got what they wanted, but didn't work out.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Yeah, I think to clarify, when it comes to the U.S. goalkeeping situation, I think we have one and a half international level goalkeepers. What that means is Zach Steffen and Matt Turner are the best goalkeepers in the country. Hands down, simply put. Which one of them is playing regularly? Which one of them is at the top of their game? That's why I say it's one and a half, right? I like Schulte.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I think he's a good goalkeeper. I watched him in the Olympics. There are levels. There are levels and there are, you know, you can be on the first floor, you can be on the 16th floor, you can be in the penthouse, right? Just because you're a good goalkeeper doesn't mean you're a good goalkeeper at the international level, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Landon, you've played with some good goalkeepers in MLS and I would say, those guys are lights out. I take them on my team all day. Would I want them in a World Cup qualifier? No, no. And so if I had one game right now in Azteca and we had to win, I'd play Brad Guzan. Yeah, I think I would too. Is he the US goalkeeper for the next? No, he's not.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
To double down on that, when I was playing, there was a goalkeeper who we both know, Marcus Hanneman. He was a big old teddy bear, brilliant guy. He was unfazed by anything. He had a big chew in his mouth. He loved to hunt deer and all that kind of stuff. And he played in the Premier League. He played in the Premier League. And he was in everyone's cup of tea.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But there was a lot of people who said, you know what? There's all these starlets coming behind Tim. But if I had to win one game and I knew the guy wouldn't be rattled, I'd play Marcus Hammond. So anyway, I'm going off a little bit. I think Zach Steffen and Matt Turner are the two U.S. goalkeepers who I believe... have the ability to perform at the international level.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And by the way, FYI, for all the people who are going to slam me, which I love, I bring, bring, bring on your comments. Casey Keller, one of the greatest goalkeepers in us history told me when I went over to England, we had a brilliant relationship and he said, you cannot Tim judge a goalkeeper until they played a hundred senior games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Once they get a hundred games under the belt, then you can say, okay, I know what this person is as a goalkeeper. And so I know we've got some kids in a pipeline and that's exciting, but
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Zach has the biggest upside. Look, he got left off the World Cup roster, which is crazy to me. I don't care what you say. Like, Zach Steffen is a good kid. He's not a bad apple. And he got left off the World Cup roster. If you're the U.S., bring your best players to the World Cup, i.e. Landon Donovan in 2014. I was a bad person, though. But you bring your best players. The fact of the matter is,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Zach Steffen is a physical specimen. I was very athletic. This kid is a physical specimen. When you talk to the goalkeeper coaches at Manchester City, they have a saying, your goalkeeper either plays big or they play small. You can tweak some things in between there, but they play big or they play small. Zach Steffen, he told me, plays big. And that's important.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
It's important because you can make match-winning saves, and that's what you need. That's what you need in the biggest moments. And so, yes, he's been written off. I was hoping and am hoping that under a new manager who – is looking at everything with new lenses, sees that Zach has a real opportunity. And certainly Matt has been the number one.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
When I think about like a Tim Rehm, and we've both been through this process. We've been on both sides of this process. We've been the young kid and we've been the old guy. I certainly have. And so you have to remember Pochettino's coming in, right? Probably doesn't know all of the players with respect to him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
So he has a job on his hands to continue to hold that shirt down. And it's been difficult for him at Palace.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Love Mike Tyson, bro. I was born in 1979. Same. The heyday. And Tyson's one of the greatest boxers of all time. Top, you know, where are you going to put it? I wouldn't... I think Jake Paul is brilliant. I think he's a brilliant businessman. He has taken average boxing... and made people buy it to the tune of 80 million people watching this thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
So I wouldn't buy a fight unless he fights Canelo, in which case I'm absolutely going to buy the fight. But yeah, I mean, Mike Tyson and everything he does, you're excited. Naively, I'm hoping he catches him with a left hook, right? Because I'm like...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Mike Tyson can put you out, but I mean, you saw there by round three, you know, he was gassed and, but big credit to Mike Tyson at his age, getting out there, stepping in the ring, like what a legend, but it wasn't, wasn't a great fight, but a big payday.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But that's what... Look, I am a boxing fan, LD. And you're right. That's the hype of it, right? That's the Netflix show where you're seeing Tyson hit the heavy bag and you're like, oh my God, like he could take someone's head off. I think Jake Paul... Cash is king. Cash is king. Sure. So when he brings somebody in who is in need of money and he says, look, my guy, I'm guaranteeing you 30 million.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
We're going to fix it. By the way, we're going to create the boxing rules like under the sanctions. We're going to make sure that the rounds are less and I'm going to give you 30 million dollars. But guess what's going to happen? I'm going to win. Do we all understand each other? So is it a wink, wink, nod, nod? Yeah, absolutely, I think so.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
he's also he's looking at it probably thinking i need some soldiers i need some guys i can trust right i need some experienced guys and so this tim so tim ream playing might not be a i have i haven't thought he might start in the world cup this might be a i need some glue i need a soldier right now for now um the problem with world football which then trickles down to the u.s team is there there becomes ideas and thoughts right about how the game should be played you could look at
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Did you see the undercard or the co-main event, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And again, credit to Jake Paul. He's promoting women's boxing and sport and getting them paid to... the tune that they should be getting paid and bringing eyes to it. And again, it's a spectacle and that part is awesome to watch. I don't really want to watch the main event though.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
That's maybe, but you can't imagine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But big credit to Tyson for even getting to the ring this time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
He finishes with his left foot and he almost kind of like skip hops to the right. Inching closer to my record really fast here. Unfiltered Soccer presented by Volkswagen. Welcome into unfiltered soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard. We are your co hosts and we're coming to you not live but after the US men's national team versus Jamaica second leg.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And the bag doesn't hit back, by the way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Well, here's the thing. Here's the thing. I've lied to our listeners and I promise to never do that. So, let me... I will purchase Jake Paul... and Conor McGregor fight. If it's in the MMA, it's in the octagon. I will absolutely watch that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Thank you, brother. Good to see you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
a false nine comes in, right? So I want to play a false nine. Well, that's good. But sometimes a number nine just needs to hold the ball, right? Forget the tricks. You talk about being expansive and I'm going to get to the fullbacks. We need fullbacks who are expansive, who take the ball wide, chalk on your touchline, get forward, cross the ball. Agreed, right? Because that's what football asks.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But in the biggest moments, when you look at the biggest, best teams, it's not about the spectacular cross that a fullback puts in. It's about defending the back post, tucking in on the shoulder of your center back, making it nasty and hard to beat, right? And I just don't know... if right now our fullbacks have that in them.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
There's still this idea to be, which again, the game's going to ask you to get forward and support the attack, no doubt. But the basic principles of defending in big moments still for me is a question mark.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
To that point, right, so Man City globally is the benchmark, or you look at Brazil and how they constantly play. These are teams who are always on top of games. They're not saying they win every game, but they're always on top of games. And my big worry for the U.S., and people are going to say, this sounds pragmatic, take it for what it is. This is the truth until someone can prove me otherwise.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
That works really well. in perfect scenarios. Yeah, you know, when the sun is shining, and you're playing Jamaica tonight, it was raining.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
But when, when you get into when you play that type of system, and you get into a World Cup, and you're playing England, you're playing Brazil, you're playing Argentina, you're playing one of these world powers, which you ultimately will, and I can't ever remember going to a game where we were, but we weren't the underdog, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
You're going to have to defend so many of those moments, or you're gonna have to ask your wingback who's playing in the six to play like John Stones. And I don't think we have those players. We don't have the quality in depth across the board. So on certain moments, and yes, you do need wrinkles. Tactically, you need wrinkles. You need to figure out moments where you can switch the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I agree with that. The concern, and it showed itself again, is we were a little bit too open and exposed at the back in moments where we actually didn't need to be. Mm-hmm.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
We haven't. And again, for all of our listeners, this is coming from a happy, sometimes concerned U.S. soccer fan. I'm a massive fan of this team and want them to do well. And I think when you look at you and myself, our records are solidified and our legacy has already been written. So I've got nothing left but joy and hope for this team. And so when you look at the schedule sometimes of how –
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I always, because I played in England, I'm always, I always look out for the, in the England national team. I'm always following them. And like every game they play is hard, right? Like every game, whether if they have an off, if they have an off month and an open window, they go to Italy and play where they go to Spain. Like their friendlies aren't like easy. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And so when I look at the U S and in terms of like not having to qualify, which we, We'll continually talk about for the next year and a half and how that's a detriment, we believe, to the team of not being hardened and sharpened. And then because of the way the international calendar is, when the U.S. tries to go get these big friendlies, those friendlies are already taken, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
And so, you know, we talk about the hard, tough games that they're going to have to face in the World Cup. And it's like, when are they going to get a run of back-to-back friendlies that are really difficult? When are you going to get a run of back-to-back friendlies
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
tournament games you know and and that's a big worry for me because because you you then you then are under this illusion like we can play good football at times and we're not under pressure and then it's like boom the big moment happens the bright lights come on you're on the big stage and that's obviously a concern um yeah that's going to be a concern for pochettino too because
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Well, yeah, I think, and I don't disagree with you. I think the, it speaks to the form that he's in because, you know, he finishes with his left foot and he almost kind of like skip hops to the right, really like in rhythm and motion. And it was like, that was never in doubt.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Like his, his body control before the finish, during the finish, after the finish, it just speaks to, you know, he's in that zone. And when you're in the zone as an athlete, we, you know, the famous Michael Jordan said it, everything just slows down. That goalkeeper who's on rushing? Yeah, whatever. It's a pink jersey. I can see it. Boom. Slotted pass. Everything slows down.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
He's in sensational form.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
Well, the funny thing is I thought the same. I thought he took it in real time. I was like, oh, this is a good goal. And then I see the replay. I thought, wow, good on you. Good on you because Christian wants that ball. And actually, it's the better choice.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
is the past but it's really really interesting because let's stay on peppy for a second he's had a lot to say which i'm not i'm okay with for for right now um espn jeff carlisle uh wrote about super sub and is he considered a super sub uh and peppy had an interview the response the way i take it obviously people are noticing the things that i'm doing whenever i come in as a sub and it makes them say the word but at the same time hearing the word it makes me want to
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
I'm paraphrasing, punch something because at the same time, I just want to play more minutes. I want to get to the point where I'm a starter. And I like this from him. I like this from him because when I watch the goal, he created the goal. If you go back, he chased down the left center back, chases down the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper flubs the clearance.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Advance in Nations League, Aguirre Assaulted, Pulisic to Premier League?
He then, after one or two passes, gets it back, and he's got the wherewithal to turn, strike, shoot, score. And And I think you have to have a bit of nasty. You'll always hear me say, I personally want my strikers to be nasty, arrogant, and selfish. I do. I do. I want them to, I want them to hate everybody. I want them to spit on the ground. I want to be nasty.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I think that's going to be the final. I'll tell you who didn't get what they want. The security guards. Who organized this to get a double header?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
To get a double header with U.S. fans that are going to leave.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
With different turnstiles. I'm not sure that's an amazing idea. Actually, maybe they sold...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I think that's probably right. But also, not an amazing idea. No.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Here you go. That's something I want to make sure we stay across because that's an interesting concept.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Lots of good questions. Before we start this episode, what t-shirt you got on?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Right, LD, the time that everyone's been waiting for is the roster announcement and the dissection of that roster. It's always what excites us as commentators and fans, right? Like before the game, it's like, who's going to be in? Who can we look forward to seeing? What's the manager thinking? So really, really interested in some of these things. takes on what this roster looks like.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And I, you know, having, having read through it very recently over the last 24 hours, it's kind of like some interesting omissions and additions, which I guess it's probably not surprising for any sort of roster, but this one in particular.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
So here's the long and the short of the goalkeeping debate. These are the three goalkeepers that are most likely going to go to the World Cup. Okay?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah, I think so. There's always shocks and surprises, but this is who I think. The only person that will play is either Zach Steffen or Matt Turner. Patrick Schulte can't play at a World Cup. And again, remember, I keep projecting to the World Cup. He can't play at a World Cup in the summer of 2026 because right now he has three caps, senior caps for the men's national team. Okay?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
In between there, at best, at best, he'd get that number three to 13. That's in the most amazing world ever, right? He won't be able to have enough experience to play in the World Cup. I like him. I covered him in the Olympics. Obviously plays really well for a very good MLS side in the Columbus crew. There's not enough hours in the day for him to get enough experience.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Zach Steffen and Matt Turner. Zach Steffen is the number one for me right now. You know, Pochettino has said it's an open race. It's not an open race. Zach Steffen right now is the number one. Matt Turner after August. can put his name back in the running for that. And it's simply going to come down. They have to perform when given the opportunity when they pull on the US shirt, no doubt.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Is there a certain state chapter? Yeah, I don't know what chapter it is.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It's going to happen over the course of the 12 months, well, 10 months between August and June or whatever, whenever the World Cup kicks off. And where does Matt Turner go? He has to make a strategic move in the summer away from Crystal Palace and to be a number one. And what I would say is he's left Arsenal, okay? So here's why his gets interesting. He left Arsenal, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
To go to Forrest to be the number one. They hedged their bets and made him like one, one and a half, right? And then when the team didn't perform well, he lost his spot. Happens. He then had a couple different moves where he probably would have been the out-and-out starter. And I think one of those moves was to Germany. Forrest blocked it. So he ends up going to Palace.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
He's out-and-out the number two at Palace. His move in August, if he wants to play in the World Cup, has to be a nailed-on starter.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
when I left when I left Manchester United I went to Everton I was guaranteed basically to be the starter my contract was structured won't get into it enough time was basically structured that I was going to be the starting goalkeeper so it was nailed on and he has to make a move in August that's going to basically say
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I'm, I'm so far the number one at this new club that the other guy is just there to like carry my boots.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Shout out to American Outlaws. I mean, the amount of times that we shared a lot of great moments with them in stadium moments. It's incredible. I get goosebumps thinking about it. all of them and the things we did.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
In the Premier League, it's a copycat league. Everyone does the same thing. So no one, I don't know if anyone's going to sign him to be the out and out number one in the Premier League. Cause they're, cause they're going to, whatever team it is is going to go, well, Forrest didn't think so. Right. And Palace didn't think so. So, well, they don't think for themselves very often. So,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I tend to think it will be away from England, but it could be the championship. It could be a team in the championship, so possibly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Well, here's what I would say. Yeah, I think we've done that down the years. Tony Miola went to the 2002 World Cup with you guys, right? Yeah. Basically because- Yeah, but he had played in 98 or 94, didn't he? Yeah, no, no, I'm saying, yeah. And so you bring a senior goalkeeper. We've had Marcus Hanneman down the years through our World Cups, right? Senior goalkeeper.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Was the last, in 2022, I think, Sean Johnson went?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Like a senior. I think your senior goalkeeper to play that spot is too old. It's Brad Guzan, right? Right. I think Brad's slightly too old. He won't mind me saying that. He actually will, but I don't care. Brad, you're old. So I don't know if there's one there. So I think you – I don't think – Yeah, that's fair. What did you say? Since 98, 94, we've had that, right? We've had a veteran presence.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
So, look, I just don't think – yeah, and to answer your question, I do think he's the third-best goalkeeper. Certainly, you factor into that potential and so forth. And, look, the bottom line is – The other part of that argument is our research team can probably do this, but name me a time in a World Cup where the third goalkeeper on the roster is played. That scenario doesn't work.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
If you're asking me right this second, okay, I think the back four for Panama is Anthony Robinson left. Left side center back, Tim Rehm. Right side center back, Chris Richards. And right fullback, Joe Scali.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Here's why.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Well, we have the numbers in front of us. 67 caps for Tim Rehm. You have to win. We keep talking about you have to win. I think if Cameron Carter Vickers and Austin Trusty are listening to this, they're going to feel hard done by because, like I said, they play together at Celtic. We've talked about it on the podcast. I want to see them play together for the U.S.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
They have a really good partnership. Look, it's going to be one from three. Cameron Carter Vickers, Austin Trusty, or Tim Rehm play in one of those center back spots. But I definitely think it's Chris Richards is nailed on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
So, yeah. Okay. I mean, I think so. I think so. I, you know, the, I think if it's not Tim Ream, it's probably Kim and Carter Vickers, but again, we'll see. But I, I think that back four that I, that I said will probably be the ones that end up playing the first game. But overall, I, Look, would you say it's an incredibly strong defensive unit? I'm not sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I like... I do really like Tanner Tessman. Get to him in a second. Look, let me just say... Tyler Adams is brilliant. And I often talk about players, football players, having that dog in them. And they ask me what that means. And it's just like that, I'm going to take your head off. I don't care. And I was watching this weekend, and he was effing somebody off after a foul.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And I just thought, this kid's brilliant. He's absolutely brilliant. Diego Luna is an interesting one. You know, three caps, still young. You had him right in San Diego.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
For those people who don't know who they are, they are the official supporters group of the U.S. men's and women's national teams. Who would not know who they are? I don't know. Listen, I'm just plugging that just so in case someone's like, who?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
He does.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
don't really listen to a lot of what managers say in press conferences. I mean, it's good. It's good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah, no disrespect to the managers. I've heard enough of them to know. No, I know. You know, the old days when Sir Alex Ferguson called me on summer holidays and said, you know, he's signing Edwin Van Der Sar and just keep my head down and keep working and I can win a spot. No, I can't. I need to leave the football club. Watch him play.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
So anyway, um, I look, I think, I think Tyler Adams, I don't think you could keep Tyler Adams off a football pitch for the U S men's national team. If you tried, he's just that good. He's ultimately gonna, I know he hasn't seen him. He's going to win him over. Like Tyler's won every other coach over in the world. Um, Weston, of course I liked him a lot. I think he's, I think he's, yeah, me too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Well, now they know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I think he's smooth on the ball. He's, I think he's got a good body. Um, he runs well. You know, can he, can he translate that consistently to the next level? I think he can, but obviously that's a challenge. And then Gio Reyna, you know, that's a player he hasn't seen either. And I think this is going to be a really good opportunity for Gio to get in there and shine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I think that's to your point. And when we're obviously talking to so many of our followers on Unfiltered Soccer, our massive, massive US Men's National Team fans, right? And so I think we have to be mindful that This roster construction isn't about who are my best 22 players and stick them on there. We wish that was the case.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It's about balance and who's good for the team and who has a good attitude and has enough maturity who plays on Sunday. Maybe a defender playing on Sunday isn't as vital as a attacking midfielder playing on Sunday, right? So, cause they're probably not going to log as many high intensity sprints, that type of thing. And so you have to be mindful of that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
What, when you want to construct a roster and to pick the starting 11. So it's not always as simple as what's on the piece of paper.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah, totally. And Gio's in a precarious position, right? Because he doesn't get a ton of time. If he stays at Dortmund, goes to the FIFA Club World Cup, then... He's out of the plans for the summer. And then, by the way, and if he moves... which I tend to think he might move, then he needs to impress his new club. He might also be out. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And they're going to mandate what his summer looks like.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
LD, what's happening to my band?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
But big moments, big opportunity for him to, you know, if he can play, let's say he plays 90 minutes over the course of, you know, in both games, right? Like two times 90 minutes is a really good indicator.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
you know, certainly, certainly for a player that you haven't seen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
When you go to a national team, you go to L.A., What's your seating arrangement? I know it sounds like a stupid question, but are you director's box? Are you wanting to sit with the people? Where are you?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Mm-hmm.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah, and they're dwindling. One, they're scarce, and two, they're dwindling. So, yeah, and again, in the grand scheme of things, Going scoreless in your first three games isn't the worst thing in the world, but for him, it's not ideal. It's timing. I like the forwards. Ajumang, fantastic. Really good January camp. Offers a little bit of something different off the shoulder that I like.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I think you have to have... The great word in soccer now is verticality. You do have to stretch because particularly in this team, I mean, you look at there's so many good footballers underneath the ball for the U.S. team that you do need a striker who can stretch.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah, and Josh Sargent is scoring goals at Norwich, and at the championship level, he's shown he can do that. So, again, we've often talked about strikers. Strikers are in a class by themselves. You want them to be in form, fit, and hungry. Right. Look, when I see this midfield, I get excited about the combination of the midfield forwards for the U.S.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I mean, bare minimum, Tyler Adams, Weston McKinney, Gio Reyna, Tanner Tessman, Moussa, Christian Pulisic, Timothy Way. I mean, that's seven players that I get really excited about. That I'm almost... which is strange for the, I could check that box off. Boom. They're good. Like they're good. They're going to perform.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
They put in consistent performances at a high level, maybe not Tanner Testament quite yet, but I think he's going to get there. And so I feel really good about that group and, and more than anything, uh, You're going to have... Who's to come back? You got Ricardo Pepe to come back. Pepe, Balogun. Flo to come back. Dest. Dest. So you start to look at the roster construction like, oh, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah, we've got some really solid pieces, right? And so that makes me feel good about us moving forward. This roster in particular, but also... And the other point to what Potch said, like someone obviously put Moussa as a forward, not him, but like some of these guys are interchangeable. Like... What does the game ask for? Well, the game asks for Weston to sit. Cool, great.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
This game asks him to be a number eight and drive forward. Great. He can do that. He can also get in the box and be on the end of the box. Christian can play wide and play underneath as a 10. So there's a lot of different flexibility with this group, which I really like. And by the way, if Tanner Chessman is...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
starts to boss it in, like, the number six role, that then goes, we don't necessarily have to play double pivot and two sixes. You go, you go, right? We don't know that yet, but maybe he has the legs to do it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I think Tessman in the six.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah, I do.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I think he plays Tyler and Weston. That's the easy answer, but I think he plays on the other side. Christian on one side, up front. Weya on the other side. Is there a world where you play a 4-1-4-1? Testament has to hold it, because I still think Gio Reyna needs to be on the field. Okay, so then you put... Someone still misses out. Jesus Christ. Someone still misses out. Because then you're two.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
You have to play Sargent or Ajumeng, but I don't think Ajumeng starts. So Sargent's up top. But my point is, if Sargent's up top and Tessman's in the hole, then who's your four? Christian's one.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah, he can, but then Gio misses out. He's got to play. He doesn't have to play. He doesn't play. He has to play.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Here's the other thing. When I look at this team, he has to... his talent suggests he has to play. So no, I'm, and I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just saying like, he needs to be in a position where he's starting for the national team because he's that good. Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I'm already, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not opposing you. I did that. Yeah. I'm with you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I do. I do. I mean, I think the world of them. But I think we're going to agree on our starting 11.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
No, I didn't. In the starting 11, he missed out.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yep, yep, yep.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It depends who he plays in goal. I tend to think he's going to play Zach Steffen because he's playing, I think, for Zach.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
No, and Zach impressed him in January. The thing about Zach is he is a beautiful specimen when he's in that goal and he's making saves. He just looks the part. Hypothetically, they go on to lift the Nations League, right? They go on to win that. He's had two really solid games. I think he walks away from that going, I dare you. I dare you. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I hadn't thought about it. Question. I think last US game I saw I was in the… I was in the…
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
So I tend to think LD, whoever, if it's not Tim Ring, so here's my caveat. If that back four is Robinson, Ream, Chris Richards, and Scali, I think if it's not Tim Rehm, let's say it's Cameron Carter, Vickers, or Austin Trustee as one of the center backs. Or McKenzie. Or McKenzie. I think it's massive for whoever partners Chris Richards in the Hartford defense.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
That's a good point. That's a good point. Right. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
No. And I think, I think when I said that, or when I say it, I'm thinking with my, we have to win a trophy cap as opposed to my, Hey, how do we, how do we build this? How do we.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
in the owners well it was it was the director's box suite with where was it kansas city it was at it was at um um child mercy park children's mercy children's mercy park child mercy it's the same difference um yeah so i was there but i'm i'm a man of the people but so far it's big dude so like i saw this i was there for the super bowl it was massive it's so big shocking yeah
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Phenomenal. Because by the way, that hasn't been like ultra consistent. Not that he hasn't been a consistent performer, but he's been dropped by some coaches. Had to earn his way back in.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah, I agree with that. The challenge, though, is for a goalkeeper, right? Forget it. Anybody, really. Take a defender or a goalkeeper. You win a game like 2-1, you concede a goal, no big deal. You win the game. Everybody makes plays, heading, dot, kicking, saving, all that stuff. It lives in the manager's mind. To your point, he's got two games virtually. He has to score. He has to score.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
If he comes away with that with no goals and saying like, I played well, and we all think he played well. I still don't think you do yourself. Yeah, you're right. That's the hard part about being a striker is you've got to score.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It's time for the Fan Connection presented by AT&T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions. The best way to grow the game of soccer in the U.S. is to keep asking questions and keep talking about the sport we all love. At AT&T, connecting changes everything. And on USLNT, our connections with you will help grow the game. It's that time again, LD.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
The AT&T fan connection. It's where you all get to ask us. You get to yell at us, kind of. There were some good ones last week, by the way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It's good, yeah. It's good. We love all of it. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Speaking of the good... Jordan. Jordan. How are you? That was, I bet you're calling me ugly. I didn't know that was about to happen. Ugly as me, folks. All right. Are you not wearing a football jersey? What are you doing?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
What would be—by the way, we've got— I have some real vintage. We've got the Johnny Cash going today, all black.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
What's, what's your, my, the one you need to find, which, which is like a cult classic is the army green camo. It's when I scored the goal landing, you were playing. Oh, I remember that. People remember that shirt. People love it. I don't have one. I literally don't have one.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Wait till you see this one. Jordan, what's your favorite U.S. Men's National Team shirt?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I like the Where's Waldo was fun.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
That one's cool. Yeah, that's nice. Oh, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
No, I don't think so.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I don't hate it at all. My initial inclination would be like, That's impossible, never going to happen, but we know now that nothing is impossible when it comes to these tournaments. So, like, yeah, I'm with LD and Anonymous that, like, I'd like to see... Look, this is going to sound very high on my horse, but the results speak for themselves. Like, the U.S.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
doesn't get enough good games in CONCACAF, right? They just don't. And you start to, like... create these headlines of like, Oh, so-and-so is chasing the U S and they get like still not competitive games. And guess what?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah. Right. I like to see, I like to see us play because when you look at the European countries, first and foremost, They know, you know, so many of my teammates were English, played for the England national team. And it's like, I would be shocked. I'm like, who are you playing? I'm like, oh, we're going, we're going back. We're playing Kazakhstan or El Salvador.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And they're like, I'm like, who are you guys playing? It's a friendly. Like, oh, we got Italy at Wembley. And then we got to go to Germany for the second.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah. I think we played them before the World Cup or something.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I want to go there. We played somebody. Somebody fact check. We played before the. No, it was. It was in California. It was in.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Okay. All right. My bad. Bekistan, Kazakhstan. I apologize. That's my geography there is not great. But yeah, we like these European teams. They play so many big games. It's never a game off. So I'd like to see it. It's true.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Sure. Well, FIFA said they had an idea that was brought up in a meeting from somebody. Anonymous, I think.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Just make up a name. That should be a rule.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Can I make a rule? Can I make a rule for unfiltered soccer? Sure. You're not allowed to send a comment in without some sort of name. Make it up. Make it funny. That's right. You have to have a name. Bit of banter. Give us something to work with.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yes. He loves this. Ben, are you kidding me? But that's carte blanche to name anybody before 2018. Anybody. Correct.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Hang on, hang on, hang on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Pre-18, best 11. I think that's the real question. Wait, has anybody ever, Ben, have you ever seen a young Eddie Pope, what that looks like? Because we're talking about defenders. We're talking about defenders in this current group.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It's so true. God bless them. Defenders in this current group, they look at Eddie Pope. Wow. Okay, anyway, keep going.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Name the other 10.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Obviously.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
We can play them both together.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Oh, Jesus Christ.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Tab in his prime.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah. I mean, the problem with Turandolo is he had major injuries right before World Cup, so people didn't get to know him. He was brilliant.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Well, listen. Back to us. Claudio and Michael Bradley together in midfield. And they have, they have Wes and Tyler. It's one in one. There's that's a split. That's a split. That's a split. Clinton. You no question. Josie striker. No question. Goalkeeper. No question. Christian. Absolutely. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
You know, Robinson, if you want to make a case that again, thing about bees is he was, he was world-class at two positions. Right. And so, which is very difficult to do, but, but Anthony Robinson, absolutely brilliant. So, Let's say they get that one. Maybe three or four for the post-18 group.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Well, it's interesting. Let's pause there for a second, right? Because... what, what that actually looks like to the outside world, because you and I have, you and I have lived this, right. And it's always like high paid athletes, shut up. You sit in first, all that there there's a sports science has become so massive. Data analytics has become so massive in the game. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Oh, Jesus.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Dos acero. I'm saying 3-1. Good guys. All right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
All right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Cage around. Did it have cage around it?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
You know what's funny? That's great because I almost want to say, and again, we need our facts checkers. I almost want to say I didn't play at Saprissa because remember they moved from Saprissa to the national stadium, which is much nicer. And I think most of my games against Costa Rica were in the national stadium. You got lucky then. I know, I know. I might have been on a bench or something.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
So interestingly enough, the easy answer is Azteca. And here's why it's not. Because as formidable as it is, I enjoyed that challenge so much. There was some sort of sadistic fun in playing there because it's Mexico. The one game for me, and it's a similar vibe, is San Pedro Sula in Honduras. Oh, yeah. That sucks. And I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it. And the reason... There's a road.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
So to your point, cause I've, I live this for 13 years, you know, your game ends on Sunday, right? You've played 90 minutes. As you said, you're shattered. What happens, what happens then is because you're coming from Europe, you are, There's a term in soccer or sports, tired and wired.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
There's this long, desolate road, right? And it's hazy. And it's a bit like brown and gray. And off in the distance, you can see San Pedro Sula. And it feels a million miles away. And on this road, right, it's filled with cars and pickup trucks and people walking. I'm talking about four miles, right? And they're just walking. And you know where they're going. This is a pilgrimage to the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And you get there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It's like Mecca.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It's a Mecca. And you have to show up two hours before the game. And the bus pulls in. And as long as I live, I will never forget it. Someone can tell me how many San Pedro Sula holds. I don't know, 50, 60,000, whatever it is. It's this big concrete structure. The bus pulls in down a tunnel and it opens up. The locker room's here and it opens up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And all you see is the stadium filled with people and music and horns and loud. And you get off the bus and you go again, it's a tunnel. It's just like concrete tunnel. And you get in the dressing room. And I remember thinking, I'm not going to enjoy this. What I said about Azteca, like I'm nervous, but I'm going to enjoy this. I just kept thinking, I ain't going to enjoy this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
This is like, this is horrific. The second we come out, because goalkeepers come out first form, they're going to boo and whistle and throw things. And that, by the way, does not stop for the next two hours. And as the LD said, you just cannot wait to get on the bus home.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Appreciate you not telling that until 2025. Oh, just for the record, I did play at Saprissa. It wasn't that difficult. 1-3-1.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
We never won in Saprissa.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Oh, I kind of remember that. I got pumped that game. Oh, we got destroyed. Destroyed. Pre-VAR. Good question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
great great answer a great question i mean look what i would say is i've told people often um one of the greatest loves of my life was playing for my country i've played 121 times and it was honestly the first my first game at legion field in out birmingham alabama my mom was there it it meant just as much as my last game um which was horrific uh losing to trinidad and tobago um
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It meant every game meant the world to me. And as Landon said, some highs are really, really high prior to the game, and it's hard to hit those heights all the time. But the National Anthem was the moment where it was all consuming. Like the training was done, the battle was to come, but that was like a singular moment in time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
So the night after the game, you're completely drained and exhausted and you go lay in bed and your eyes are like, your body's like, please shut down. And your nervous system is so high. You don't sleep. You don't sleep that night. You probably get to bed three o'clock. Most of the time. And then you get up and you jump on a flight. Yes, it's first class. Amazing. Flat beds.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And what I would say, because I think it's such a great question, and we just talked about Saprissa and San Pedro Sula, When I would stand there with 10 other of my brothers away from home, we were hated. It's hard to illustrate that to people. You're standing there and you have landed in that country and pretty much for 48 hours, you've been looked at with disgust and you've been hated.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And by the way, when they play our amazing national anthem away from home in CONCACAF, it's blared through, it's never words. And it's, it's, it's blared through some rickety PA system.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And so the pride that we felt singing it as loud as we, we could try to get above the whistles and the booze and all the noise, because they don't respect our national anthem in a lot of these places that filled me with more pride than anything else.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It's good. I don't even know the certain national anthems because I didn't pay attention that much to them. But for any world football fan, do yourself a favor and watch Italy play. the players during the Italian national anthem, whenever they play it, there there's tears, there's tears, there's, there's like gyration and they're like gripping you. They start hugging by the end of the song.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
They've got a grip of each other's like warm up top and they're singing. And some of them are crying and you're like, Whoa, I think there's a soccer game or this, but I'm not really sure. Like it's crazy. It's amazing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I think – someone correct me again in research. Did Kyle Beckerman play or start in the Belgian game in 2014? One of those games, I think he did. I would say this about Kyle, and it's not a disrespect. Yeah. Kyle was a really good player. He was reliable, and you can count on him. And I know, Landon, you have the utmost respect for him playing against him and
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
But your body has barely had time to start the recovery process from the game. So now you're tight and you're cramped and that's a...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And with him. And then you get to the 2014 World Cup and you start to ask yourself for a guy like Kyle, is this a step too far? Is this a bridge too far? Like, is this level maybe not for you? And he just silenced any critics, any doubters. He was the glue for that team, for all the big names. And Kyle Beckman did not play in a Belgian game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And I thought that was a massive miss from Juergen Klinsmann because he was just – He was the glue. He allowed all the players to go, you know, the players that you know, the household names to go do their thing. And he was incredible during that tournament. So yeah, Bical Beckerman.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I'm glad you enjoyed it more importantly, Jordan.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It's all that matters. Thanks, guys. Thanks, Jared.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
10 hour 11 hour flight and you get off the flight so now now your sports scientists and the team are basically saying you're you're useless to us on tuesday we've got to get you on the grass and you're running shoes and we've got to get you moving but by the way we're already implementing game plan and strategy you kind of have to be paying attention to that and you have to be on the grass so that the manager can use you a bit but you're useless you're going to get
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah, thanks, everyone. And thank you to our presenting sponsor, VW, and our Fan Connection sponsor, AT&T. We always miss you at the back end of the week, but we look forward to seeing you next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
You're basically going to get what would in a normal week LD, right? Your two days post game or three days post game, you're basically starting to come back to training. But in this scenario, you're match day minus one, right? So it's a really difficult process for the players coming from Europe to really get up to speed physically for that game on Thursday.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I'm still sick of seeing you, but it's fine. Cause I actually was, I was on, I was on a, you and I were on a phone call as well earlier today.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
This is it. I mean, look, the thing about Panama, which I'll start with is When in our era, look, US, Mexico and Costa Rica are the best teams traditionally year on year in CONCACAF. Why Panama started, you know, Panama started to creep up as number four. And here's why. The U.S. is so dominant. U.S. players, U.S.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
men's national team players are physically so superior to any other country that we play in CONCACAF. That's it. Now we might get out footballed by Mexico every now and again. Physically and athletically, we are the most dominant. What Panama has done in the last decade is they've matched that. I mean, I've been in the tunnel against Panama multiple times and thought,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
we're not going to necessarily be able to beat them physically. And they come in and oftentimes, and they know this, they try and bully us because they know they're physically more imposing across the board oftentimes than a lot of our teams. And that's not something we're used to because we're so superior athletically as American footballers that we never have to worry about ticking that box.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
That happens.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
But I don't mind it. More importantly, I don't think our, I don't think our listeners mind it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And so Panama poses some real problems.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
They do. And I, and for me, since we started this podcast, but trust when I tell you from today forward, like until the world cup, everything that I say about the U S men's national team is solely for one purpose. is for them to perform optimally in the World Cup. That's all like, that doesn't, nothing else matters.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And so when I say they have to beat Panama, it's simply, and I banged this drum, it's simply so that they can get another game on the calendar. Like I'm not that concerned. Like I'm not that concerned about like, I want them to win the CONCACAF Nationals. I do, I do, I do, I do.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
I'm more concerned that they're going to get another game that's meaningful, that means something, that has to, they have to win, that they're put in an uncomfortable situation, which finals are. Like, that's what I'm concerned about because of our lack of World Cup qualifying. And I keep saying that, but they have to beat Panama simply just to get to that next game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Look, I want them to win the final, but ultimately they lose in the final. I still feel like There's value. There's value in it, right? Yeah. Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Yeah. You're earning your stripes. And I think that that's how it should be. You know, that's kind of how US men's national team has been, has been, you know, certainly from the, from the psychological standpoint, structured over, uh, in the last two decades, and you have to earn that. And I think it's important.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And Pochettino, again, because of the delicate balance of naming the roster and roster construction, he's had to piece together some veterans with some guys who he has to give a chance to because, like you said, there's just not enough games for him to get a real good look at certain guys. But ultimately...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
When you pull that shirt on and there's something on the line and there's something at stake, it means more. And that's what these two games for me, hopefully two games, are about.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
Okay. Yeah. I watched the game in Kansas City that I said I was at. It was U.S.-Canada. It was that game. And I love what Jesse Marsh is doing. I think so highly of him as a manager, as a person. And I love what he's doing with that generation of Canadian players. I still think we're the better team, but Mexico for me is always –
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
It will forever and always be the biggest challenge psychologically and on the grass for the U.S. men's national team. There's just... the rivalry has, has happened that you always, even when, even when the tide turns, so you're always trying to beat the big bully, right? In our case.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview
And then when we turn that tide and we begin to be the dominant team in the region, you're so worried about them coming to a boil again and surpassing you that it still creates a fear factor inside you that, that can't be replicated at any other point in the region. So for me, you know, the, the probably would like to see Canada because I think we can beat them, but,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
They'd shop you abroad. Someone would give you a lowball offer. Well, the transfer's not high enough, and then you've got to stay here at Cincinnati. I'm using Cincinnati as an example. And then the player gets upset, and he gets his head turned. Now, which again, you've heard me bang this drum. This should have happened years ago.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
If you're Seattle, and you look at Cincinnati's best player, and you go, hey, we want to pay him. We're going to pay him. $4 million for him because we were going to go pay $4 million for a guy in Slovenia as a striker, but we want the striker in Cincinnati who scored 20 goals last year. Go pay for him. People were so afraid to do that within the league because God knows why.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I have my own opinions, but I think that they didn't do it because they thought they could do better. They thought they could go abroad and do better. Some of the best players in MLS are already in MLS.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
So go get them.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I think your point is fair that there was a MLS 1.0 and 2.0 when it comes to expansion teams and that the league wasn't as mature. I agree with that. What I would say is there's been, we've seen so many, I say so many, enough to convince me that an expansion team can compete. You know, as recently as St.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
A neurodiversity documentary. What's that mean? You're going to have to Google that because you should know. And then I'm going to sit down at Finch Farm at Everton with David Moyes, Jordan Pickford, Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman on something separate. Probably going to call or be on the desk for the Everton-Manchester United game. Yeah, doing a whole bunch of stuff, man.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Louis, who was in the, you know, obviously made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. You know, the original was Chicago Fire in 1998 under Bob Bradley, who were a bunch of world beaters. The team that Bob put together, like, what? I can honestly say this to you, and it's so hard to compare generations. I'm one of these people who finds it difficult.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I can assure you Bob Bradley's best team could step on the field in its prime this coming MLS season. and being at the top.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
They had some bad guys. When I say bad guys, they had some absolute winners.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Stoichkov. I mean, young Josh Wolfe.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
They were amazing. Zach Thornton and Goal. Seattle Sounders competed. LAFC has competed. Atlanta United, under the tutelage of our dear friend Carlos Bocanegra, they competed early on. So we'll see. I mean, I think San Diego is such an interesting one because it falls into the – The LA, LA, New York, Miami box. People are going to want to go there. It's a destination.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
For you, look, we know that you bleed Galaxy, right? Will you support that team?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Will you go there and take your kids there?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah, it's going to be awesome. I saw a NWSL game there right before the World Cup or Olympics, and it was Seattle versus San Diego, like the send-off game before. And it was an ECNL tournament for my daughter, and it was sold out. I mean, that's an awesome stadium.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Really, really cool.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
LD, what's happening? Back. USLNT on USMNT. Big segment for us. We love trying to keep up to date with all the US men's national team players, both home and abroad. Big, big, interesting news, both on the injury front and the performance front. The injury front has my eyes really wide open.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
So it's going to be cool.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Thank you, brother.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah, look, I think with, like I said, I love Gio, man. I love him as the player, one of the very few players we can hold up and say, people ask us all the time, Landon, who's an American world-class player? He's one of them. He's one of a few players who have the talent, the natural talent. to make it at the top level.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And, and for that reason alone, you want to see him playing week in week out, have an impact. Now, look, I know, you know, Claudio, who we both know and played with and is, is heavily in charge of his career and steering it, which is, I think a good thing. And, and,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
What I would say about that is Gio and his representatives and all of these players who aren't quite getting a sniff, literally Landon have, what are we in almost March?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
About four months to figure out like, Hmm. Okay. I've got a massive, massive career defined decision to make in the next four months as to where I'm going to be next year. Right? Because that's it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
So, so you think you have, you have to imagine, you know, um, so many of these players will, I'm hoping, and if they're, you know, if they're listening, please talk to your agents and your representatives and figure it out because you have to be playing going into a world cup and you, and that move has to be made in, um, in the summer. And look, I think regarding the injuries, um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
i was bummed man i was really really bummed with ricardo pepe's injury because flow's been out and and flo before he got injured was looking the part as a nine right and then he got injured and ricardo pepe kind of grabbed that shirt with with both hands and both fists and kind of made it his own so like okay this is good um and now both are injured um tillman
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
So recovering, Serginio Dest recovering. Look, the only good part about this is, and you've dealt with injuries as well. The good part about it is these are young men, right? These aren't players who are over the hill and you don't know if they're going to come back. These guys will hit the ground running.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And they'll be one excited to be back on the grass because everyone hates being injured, but also like they understand, I believe they understand that time is of the essence. And like, if they can come back stronger, fitter and healthier, sometimes that injury layoff is actually the rest you needed. Nobody wants it. Nobody wants it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
But like, imagine coming back 14 months before the world cup with a renewed sense of optimism, spirit, health. Like I think we'll be okay. But right now I'm playing joy for playing, but right now I'm like bummed, you know?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
It's fun to watch. And I think, look, I think that's what... Big credit has to go to Weston McKinney because you hear a lot, you see him on the pitch and his attitude and his energy is infectious, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And then if you're close enough to the inside, you and I aren't on the inside, but we're close enough to the inside to hear stories about like his attitude and his personality and how bubbly he is and how much he affects the group in a positive way. And then you say something like that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
He's a captain event is, and then it all checks out because if you can be an American and be, and where the captain's armband events, even for a short period of time, you're doing nearly everything right. So look, I think what gets everyone excited about, about this group is, is,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
the way is and McKinney and Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams, you know, these are, these are players where you're like, God, if everyone can be healthy and everyone can get enough games under the belt together, Anthony Robinson, my God. Then, then you're like, yeah, we should feel optimistic about having a good run in, in 2026. So yeah, fingers crossed.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Everyone gets healthy on the pitch and playing regularly in the next 14 months. But this is a continual story.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah, and I think that I was on the desk for that game. I was in the studio with NBC. And yeah, it was a great game. I thought that Liverpool handled themselves well prior to the game. My initial thought, which kind of came to fruition in the game, was that Moyes was back and he would know that Everton team can't go toe-to-toe with Liverpool. They can't just play them off the park.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
That wouldn't happen. Liverpool's too talented. So sometimes, as we talked about, you have to tell your team to roll your sleeves up and go earn the right to play. And by the way, get in their face, dump them on the floor and see if they like it. Cause most of the teams at the top don't like that. And that's what Everton did.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And they made it tough, made it tough for the midfielders to have a clean look into the strikers, which we know is, is Liverpool's front three is sensational. And it was a good game of football and Liverpool handled that and took the lead. And I thought it was great. I thought the emotion in the stadium, both the reds and the blues was fantastic.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And then an epic winner by, excuse me, equalized by Tarkovsky. And I was on the others. I was on at Anfield, I think in 2015 or 16, I can't remember exactly, but Phil Jagielka hit a screamer into the coffin in 2014 into the cop end. And yeah, It was from 22 yards out. It was one of the most amazing feelings.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah, incredible. So it reminded me of that. And it was, you know, what I said on air was this. Darby's have the, the, the emotion of Darby's has gotten lost. Guys are friendly. Everyone's on Tik TOK and Instagram. Their home is hugging in the tunnel. I remember the days you'll walk down the tunnel. You didn't look at anybody and you walked out the door.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Now it's like your best mate, you're giving a high five. And that, that kind of, that kind of renewed a sense of optimism of like, okay, Darby's aren't dead. Like there's still, there's still, there's still some goodness in it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I think it's four wins, one draw, and one loss. Unbeaten in five, I think. Yeah, well done, David Moyes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
My guy, LD, what's happening?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
It was interesting. So Saka, we know, has been out for a bit. Martinelli's out. Jesus and Havertz, their two number nines were out. Havertz tore a hamstring in warm weather training in Dubai. I'm thinking, every time I was at warm weather training, I didn't get out of first gear. So I'm not sure how he did that. But unfortunately, they didn't have a striker.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
So leading in, it was like, who are they going to be? Are they going to play Raheem Sterling at the false nine? It ended up being Trussard at the false nine, Sterling to the left, and Wanyeri out to the right, the young 17-year-old. It just didn't really work. Nothing really clicked. And then at the end of the game, which was interesting, LD, because we had heard, we, within our NBC group,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
and heard we don't even know like there's people that were saying like hey mckell marino can play striker and he hadn't played striker in his career like there was no games where he played as a recognized striker so the only thing we could really think of was like you know in training some guys are like really good like jack yelka and wayne rooney would put the gloves on and they'd jump in goal and you'd be like yo in a pinch these guys could be third goalkeeper like these kind of crazy rumors so we had heard on the inside that like hey mckell marino could be an option like
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
All right, we'll keep that in our back pocket. Sure enough, that front three didn't work. He brings on Mikel Moreno late on in like an ugly nil-nil and two brilliant, brilliant finishes. A header where he just snaps it into the corner and then a left-footed strike that just guides in. And I'm thinking this, I think, is their number nine for the run-in because they have to win.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
No. Um, look, I think, I think Spurs both, both mid table below mid table teams, uh, United is a complete overhaul for me. Um, And we've seen that under Ruben Amer and he'll get, hopefully he'll get some time to do that. I think he will. And it's possible to call it a fun, exciting team to play one way. He's getting a lot of players, big players back fit.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I expected Spurs to kind of run away with the game, but in the end it was one nil. So yeah, again, a long way to go before both of those teams are relevant.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah, well, I mean, look, I think jealousy, number one. I think Coachella Valley Invitational is like, I wish I had that when I was playing or when we were playing. Your team would just try and figure out where you could – Pitch up in a hotel for two weeks and play possibly one other MLS team, maybe a college team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
This is going to be an ongoing conversation that's targeted to start in 2027, 2028 season. We're going to get big news about this constantly. And that's good because we can talk about it. Look, you and I have been owners in the USL. I'm currently an owner in MLS and NWSL. I attack this conversation, not with any bias, but with a history in this country at every level. And you and I share that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
You talked about some of the requirements. So let's just start there. Has to be a minimum of 12 teams at launch, expanding to 14 teams by year three. Teams must be in the Eastern, Central, and Pacific time zones. 75% of teams must be in metro areas with 1 million plus people. Stadiums, as you mentioned, must be enclosed with at least 15,000 seats. That's a big one for me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Ownership groups must demonstrate financial viability to sustain operations for at least five years. OK, so those are the main talking points, if you will. It's going to be hard. It's going to be hard to to compete. You know, look. Now, I think there's two sides to this. MLS started, right? There's been a bunch of iterations of what soccer looks like in America.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
1994, the World Cup comes here, and then MLS starts in 1996. There is no soccer in America. No real soccer in America to speak of. There's teams. You now have, we've talked about this at the top of the show. We now have one of the more amazing leagues in the world, right, in MLS. You're now going to start a 12 team league and compete essentially for eyeballs and viewerships with the MLS.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And people will say, no, that's not the case. Kind of is the case.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
You will, you will compete with MLS and it's going to be really difficult. I think to, to create momentum in those, in those, um, cities, um, And create stadiums. By the way, a 15,000 seat stadium costs a heck of a lot of money.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah. And what I would say is there's probably a lot of loss going into that. So you're going to have to have investors very similar to how it was in MLS in the early days where you have to be prepared to lose before you win. And I think... going back to our pro-promotion relegation conversation, if USL in their statement said that is a possibility but not really at the start, I like it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
You know, you and I said that. Like maybe promotion relegation in this country does actually originate in USL and then becoming a viable first division that they say will rival the MLS and they create a promotion relegation model because then it's not pie in the sky. Then you have real metrics to measure whether that can live or die here in America.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
So, yeah, the fact that it's moved forward. We both said crazy when we're talking about the MLS preview, like it's back. When you're not on the grass, like when you're not a player or a coach inside of it, it seems so short. Now, when you're a player, you're like, oh, my God, I can't believe it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
You look like you might be playing golf after this show.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
To know that they go back down. Well, just period in general, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah. I think it's, you know, and again, we don't, we sit here now, we have the same, we have the same statement from the USL that everyone else in America and the world can read. We don't have the ins and outs, but you know, I start to then piece together what can they do differently. Right. I think what I'd like to see as an example is create, create a luxury tax, say, Hey, you
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
You five want to go spend super big? Go spend super big. We're going to create a luxury tax and parachute payments and a pyramid that we can actually utilize this. And so if you're the New York Yankees, spend and we'll trickle it down to the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics. Like, I'm... I'm okay with that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
you know, we, we just, you know, it's not been long enough, but this on the outside, I mean, we were just taught a couple of shows ago, right? It feels like a couple of shows ago we were talking about the MLS cup final. So, uh, yeah, I'm excited for a multitude of reasons going into the season. I think, I think we're seeing which we're going to get into. Um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Like start create another, another sort of system that works differently than MLS and see if it works. And people, people ask, is it, is that then the, if there's success, is that then, um, that steps towards like a merger? Um, what I would say is right now, everyone's going to tell, you know, the example that I would give is PGA golf is the epicenter of the golf universe, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
No way some wild golf lead named Live Golf is going to compete. Well, guess what? Well, guess what? We ain't that far removed from the launch of Live Golf, and I think there's going to be a merger coming soon, right? So on the surface, everyone's going to say no, and I think that's probably the company line and probably the more accurate line.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
But if there is some success with a USL being a first division and some sort of luxury tax or promotion relegation, There's always a conversation at the table. But again, we're far from that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
It's time for the Fan Connection presented by AT&T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions. The best way to grow the game of soccer in the U.S. is to keep asking questions and keep talking about the sport we all love. At AT&T, connecting changes everything. And on USLNT, our connections with you will help grow the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah, AT&T fan connection time, as you know it. Also, Jordan's favorite time of the week because she gets airtime. Jordan, welcome in. JR.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
which should have happened probably a decade ago, but we're starting to see some real big names changing clubs within the league for big fees, which again, I think is the way forward. And that's, that's the way the global market works, you know, interleague wise. So I'm excited about that. Obviously excited to, you know, I think that Galaxy are really well poised to make another run.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Like if they got a Kevin De Bruyne, they can make the playoffs? A Kevin De Bruyne could work, yes. Um, I'm absolutely not available. If it's pickleball, I'm in, but if it's soccer completely out, um, yeah, I tend to think again with, without a ton of knowledge with the team, just looking at the roster additions, they can compete for a, for a bottom end playoff spot.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
But, um, you know, I, I w I would say that would, that would be success, um, because I'll get a ton of momentum from being a first year team in that, in that, uh, city with, with the fans behind them. Um, Look, do you need a DP? What no one tells you in this league, and Landon and I will tell you, everybody needs a DP. Good DPs are really hard to find. I can tell you this from experience.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Teams from mid-level European leagues will basically... they know you're an MLS club and you'll overpay. So they, they, they hike the fee up for a mid level DP, which isn't an instant impact type of DP. So now you're overpaying for what, for a guy you don't really know much about. And then if you want to go get a big, big, big player, you have to pay money.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
So that mid range where most of the teams are operating in is really tricky to bring in a good DP. So just be patient.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Good question, though.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
That's a good point. What was the question? I know the original teams. What was the question? Oh, can one of them get over the hump?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I think, I think, Miami is poised to make another run again at the Shield and possibly the Cup. So yeah, there's a lot of really good storylines in MLS.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah. I mean, it's hard to argue with Landon's point about, like, can you be a good team and have a good run and get into the playoffs and feel really good about yourselves? Yeah. And then you run into the buzzsaw of what is LA galaxy. And then you're like, Jesus, you know, like, but that was built in a very short period of time too. Right. Like the most recent galaxy success. So yeah,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I mean, the one question I would have is, am I still a part of the Red Bull? Like, am I a part of this history? Because I was a Metro star.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I don't know if that's gone away. But what I would say, though, the negative for those three teams, we said Dallas, New England, and Red Bull, is you've had more cracks at it than anybody else.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And by the way, and you went through moments where you spent. Red Bull spent, by the way. Marquez, Henri, Cahill, like they spent and still no success, like big success to speak of. So hopefully they get that right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I got one. I got one. Go ahead. Let me ask you before I answer because you're well more versed in this. LAFC, LA Galaxy is huge, yes?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I mean, relatively, yeah. Is San Jose, LA Galaxy big?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
It used to be, right? It used to be, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Let me say this though. If you're clever and you now have Bruce Arena up in the north and you now have San Diego, allow the LA team to do their thing and almost bypass it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
If you're San Jose and you're San Diego, be like, these teams in the middle are crap.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
They're not, but like, like create a marketing scheme that says we own out, we own California and, and it'd be, and it could be clever and do San Jose LA because of Sue San Jose, San Jose, San Diego, because I feel like San Jose LA galaxy, which used to be big has kind of dissipated recently because of the LA hell traffico.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Oh, what a question. Bees. Is he lobbying for himself, by the way? He might be. It might be a Houston angle.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I don't mind that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Come on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
First of all, thank you, Bees, for the love.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
He's carried us on occasion.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Okay. Great question. Let me give this a thought. I know one that jumps off the page for me. The one that jumps off the page for me is Brian McBride and Columbus because those two are synonymous. I don't know if that's the final answer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah. You know, we're ready. It's been a, it's been a good off season. I think when, when you feel good about, about where you are as a club, you, every club has to trim the fat, you know, for us, we didn't feel like there needed to be a massive overhaul. We felt, we felt very, very good about things. And obviously bringing in Jack McGlynn, I thought was a real coup for Pat Onstead and our club.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
You've got a statue. The MLS Cup MVP is named. I go skiing one week, golfing the next.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
All right, listen. DeMarcus Beasley.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Go on. I'm thinking about how great... DC United was in the early days. Is it like an Echeverry shout? Who would be the one?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Okay, interesting. That's a great shout. Throwbacks from Tim Howard, by the way. Throwbacks. I love that. I got the Bumblebee uniform on my bride. I've got Echeverry with the Breathe Right strip on his nose. I got all sorts of things going on. Yeah, I love that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah. Well, not only did I watch, I watched it build up. So, so let me, let me just say, I, I am a Chicago Blackhawks fan. I know crazy and shout out to the Chicago Blackhawks. They've treated me amazing every time I've been there. Um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
I went on recently, I went on, I went to a game, uh, they played Edmonton Oilers and, um, it was, they again, rolled out the red carpet for me and I was on the pregame show and this was prior to the four nations. And they were basically trying to draw that parallel, um, on the pregame show. Like what's going to be like for these players in season, go play for their country, dot, dot, dot. Um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And we just talked about how difficult it is in season to kind of stop, pause with your club and then go play for your country. But what an honor it is. And it was a great, great conversation. I watched the buildup to the game. And it was P.K. Subban and Mark Messier, the legend. And Mark Messier was talking about the rivalry, but he was talking about wearing the sweater for Canada.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And he's like, I got this. It was 84, 90 or something. I'm getting those years wrong. He's like, I got...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
gretzky on one side i've got uh mario mario lemieux on the other and i shouldn't even be on the ice and i'm getting goosebumps listening to this guy talk about like canadian hockey right um and then you and then you watch the game and like i get that there's rest and there's management and i get all that right and you get all that and we watch the nba and the in-season tournament and what what that means and whether it's been good or bad or whether players compete you and i know
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
So we feel great about that. And yeah. And Ponce is, you know, getting a full preseason under his belt and feeling like he can hit the ground running. So some more pieces to be added, but early on, really excited for kind of the group that we have, you know, that we've given Ben Olsen. So looking forward to it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
that when you play for your team, your club team, right? And then you go into an in-season tournament, whether it's, whether it's you pause and you got, you got to come back to the States to play in a World Cup qualifier, or you go play in Champions League, whatever it is in season where you're not playing, you know, you're playing a different competition. You and I know you go full tilt.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
There is no day off. And, the puck drops for US Canada and these dudes drop their gloves and fight. I'm like, this is mid, this is mid season. And there's three fights inside, inside the first nine, three fights in the first nine minutes or something like that. Nine seconds, nine seconds. And I'm thinking to myself, well, that was incredible.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And then I watched and I remember thinking, I remember watching the first, obviously the game started to take shape. The first and second period, I have never seen a faster hockey game. Like it was moving at the sound of speed. These guys, and by the way, you've been around hockey players. Hockey players for me are the best athletes. The best athletes. They can skate.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Behind the scenes when they're warming up, they're juggling soccer balls. They're shooting basketball. They are the best athletes when it comes to being a professional athlete. It was an insane game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Amazing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah, thank you, everybody. Always a pleasure spending time with you. Thanks to our presenting sponsor, VW, and our fan connection sponsor, AT&T. Have an amazing week. Look forward to seeing you back next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
You are. It's not normal February day here. Maybe it is. It's like We're in between snowstorms in New York. It's absolutely Baltic outside, but here we are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And the interesting thing about the San Jose-Bruce Arena marriage is you've been an attacking player in his system. I have obviously as a goalkeeper. But the one thing Bruce does above anything else is he gets players to run through a freaking wall for him. And by the way, once you do that, and anybody who's played for Bruce knows, once you do that, do what you want.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Like front four, go express yourself, go enjoy. There's like a blueprint and a foundation that he implements. And then after that, that front four is really going to enjoy themselves.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Best city in the world, so I'm here.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah, agreed.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Yeah. I think the surprise for me, which will, um, again, so we'll circle back to so many of these topics is, is. Columbus, I'm really interested. You look at their overall body of work in the last two seasons. It's been phenomenal. Last year, okay, they had a blip and they got knocked out, and that's kind of the ups and the downs of what MLS playoffs are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
It's the highs and lows, and if you can upset Columbus, it's amazing. But if you're Columbus, you're saying, hang on a minute, we've had an amazing 24 months, and last year we have nothing to show for it. But I still think When you look at that team, it's arguably one of the best teams in MLS based on what they've done over the last few seasons consecutively.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
So I would imagine they're going to be there thereabouts come the end of the season.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
What's been going on?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Well, I think speaking to Robin, one of the things is you talk about Bruce and being someone that you want to play for. That's what Robin is. He is straight between the eyes. He doesn't make you guess on what he wants. He's got a really good football brain in terms of how he wants his teams to play and set them up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And look, the good thing about hiring Robin back in Toronto because he has such history with Toronto is – we don't really know what Toronto is. Right. So when you, when you go back to when they, when they snatched up Michael Bradley and Josie Alstor, they're like, we're spending big money. We have cornerstone pieces and this is who we are. And that was successful.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And then kind of coming out of that as, as you know, Josie and Michael and a few others that, that started to come to the end of their career, were they still about the big money signings? Were they trying to bring homegrown players through that? By the way, Nothing wrong with that. That's a natural progression of any football club.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And you try and hang on to what you used to do, but maybe it doesn't work. And so what I like about Robin and having him in the door, Robin Frazier at Toronto FC, is he can sit down and has sat down and said, right, what does this look like for us? Who do we want to be? Let me know. And I can transition the club to have success going forward. So I'm looking forward to that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Totally. And what you're saying is
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
is there's more than one way to win football matches i think we get so caught up and you talk about the pep guardiola effect across global football you get so caught up and you have to do it this way no you don't you have to do it in a way that wins football matches but that can look it can look 10 20 different ways so yeah and we're gonna get to david moyes later but he's a perfect example right yeah you know he's not it's not the sexy young coach he just wins he knows how to win right and so that's right
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
You know, hats off to the MLS and the owners, you know, and the players that built this league and, again, the commissioner's office. Because when you have the luxury of where you and I sit and having been in the earliest stages, I mean, I was – I entered the league 24 months after it first started. So it started in 96, and I –
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
my first game, you know, or my first sign in 98, like that wasn't a football club that I signed for. It was like, uh, some people put some team together. Like it was, it was crazy. Um, and so like the growth of this league, you know, and look, it took some real hard decisions, um, instead of fast vision and, and, and time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And wow, we've gotten to a place that is just so impressive in terms of, in terms of valuation of clubs, stadiums, fan base, um, the Apple TV television contract, the big name that currently messy playing in the league. Right. Like, yeah. I mean, you couldn't, you couldn't have imagined it other than the fact that there were a few people who did imagine it and made it, made it happen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
get the same offer at you know crystal palace as i did this is happening already as i do at charlotte fc i'm going to choose charlotte right because they because they want to be here no i for i think for so long the and you you live this more than i did but you constantly saw big global stars come to mls come to la what do they come for if they had a checklist and there was a one two and a three
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Soccer would have been under number three, right? It was for everything else. It was for lifestyles, for all the other things. We have that draw and that allure. So, you know, once we continue to get to where we hope we are, like money-wise, competition-wise, yeah, I think people will float through the gates for sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
Don't do that. For all of our listeners, I am a man of the people. I don't get ski weeks. Don't have that. Landon is posh. This is what we've always known, but that's what makes us a dynamic duo. I'm actually headed over to London tonight. Oh, you're going tonight? For two weeks, yeah. I'm shooting a neurodiversity documentary. Going to sit down. A what? It's unsurprising.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
MLS 2025 Season Preview, USMNT Injuries, The Merseyside Derby, and USL's New First Division
And look, I think this is going to, I really do. I think this is going to change the trajectory of the league because we're able to, you're able to now give these guys options within the league, like before, before what would happen. Right. And we've seen this. If you're really good at Cincinnati, you're a top player. You're like, I want more. The option was always to go abroad.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Weston, Tim Weah, and Gio Reyna, in this matter, it's important that U.S. Soccer and Mauricio Pochettino say, absolutely zero chance I'm playing without those three.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
It then becomes about problem solving and leadership, right? And then you crave that. Most athletes crave that. And then you want more. So then you go into your national team. You're like, no, no, hang on. I got a voice. I know how to fix this problem. And you step up and you stand out. So I think the leadership aspect is a really good one.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Really, really a lot of fun.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I'm just waiting my turn. Go ahead. I hate it. I hate it. You and I talk about this. Why? Well, yeah. So I hate it because ultimately, and this is not us talking here in 2024, this is going to be the same conversation on everybody's lips in 2030. The travel, that distance of travel is going to wear on teams.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Now I know, I know the teams that have to come from South America in those opening games will have quote unquote ample rest, but the
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
The fact of the matter is when you get to the later stages and I'm talking last four or get to a final, I think there'll be a team, if there's a team from that started the tournament in South America, who I think is going to have a disadvantage because of that travel for teams who don't.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
A cumulative... Yes, because... Because these guys do this all the time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Totally. Totally. But in the midst of a tournament where these guys... Look, when you travel back to... If you're a Brazilian and you travel back to somewhere in the Premier League in London, you've traveled back to... Paris and play for Paris Saint-Germain, whatever the case is. The fact of the matter is you don't actually have to perform on the one-off. You can. Maybe you take the weekend off.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
It's not going to be the case with these teams. And so I just, yes, I know they know how to travel on first-class planes and charter planes and get their sleep right. I ultimately think travel is a disadvantage. In 2014, we traveled more than any team in Brazil as a U.S. team. We had the most miles logged, and it was hard.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
It's not the reason we lost in that particular case, but it could be, and I don't love it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
The other World Cup that was announced was 2034 in Saudi Arabia. And it's an interesting one because Qatar was not that long ago. I mean, from today, it wasn't that long ago. By 2034, it will be. But playing a World Cup in the winter has its... But then there's also a benefit for the European players in the middle of their season. It's not at the end.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
It throws scheduling into a little bit of a loop in terms of league schedule. But what's your thoughts on the winter World Cup in Saudi Arabia?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And of course- Where was this? It was in Switzerland. Oh, you were in Switzerland. Switzerland.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
The Unfiltered Soccer Podcast is brought to you by Volkswagen, the presenting partner of U.S.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
They're not just talking about it, they're out there doing it. VW's partnerships, programs, and soccer clinics are unlocking opportunities for the next generation of players and fans.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Thank you to VW for being our presenting partner. Learn more about how VW are supporting U.S. soccer at vw.com.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
OLD, the Premier League. Yeah, it was Derby weekend in Manchester, my former home. Good old city of Manchester. It was a big one. It was a big one for so many reasons because City had to win, right? Like they had to get back on track. And Man United under new manager Ruben Amaran, they need something, right? They need a marker.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
As you start to build your team, you have to put a marker down and feel like you're building towards the right things. For all of you who didn't see the game, and I'm guessing most of our listeners saw the game, it was fairly dull. It was kind of a little bit of a shadow boxing match, but then it exploded into life, as you saw. Ahmad with the winning penalty. Awful giveaway from Mateus Nunez.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Bruno Fernandes, obviously, equalized. And then City, of course, trying to push for the winner. But in the end, it was a red weekend.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah, I mean, Nunez gives a pass away, and then, of course, you try with all your might to make up for it and then give away the penalty. Compound mistakes lead to goals in soccer. So, you know, that's not something that Pep Guardiola can legislate for, right? Ahmad Diallo, I think the great thing, and you know this, is when a new manager comes in, it gives everybody a new opportunity.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
No, no, no.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And oftentimes... flowers bud that we didn't even expect. And Diallo, because of the way the system works, there are crucial pieces in Amram's system. And one of those is the wide areas in particular. The wingback, the winger, depending on what he plays. But Ahmad has seemed to pick the system up really quickly, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And so he's had a ton of good performances to the extent where you're looking at it. And I would argue that since Amram's come in, he's been the best performer of anybody. Obviously, there's been some good performances through Bruno Fernandes, who we expect, and Hoyland has kind of come to life. But Ahmad, for sure, has been one of the big bright spots for me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
That's why I need a manager who can pull that out of particularly a lot of these young players. Look, so much to unpack here, topic by topic, when it comes to the Derby. First one.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
for me kyle walker and most of us saw this kyle walker and and hoyland there's a coming together um where you see this a lot in in in soccer right there's there's you get angry and you're not supposed to you're not supposed to fight because there's violent conduct right so if you raise your hands on someone you're going to get red cards so oftentimes players in their anger they come together and they like put each other's head on so much oh yeah i'm gonna headbutt you
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Right. And so Hoyland initiates the movement, but it's not a head, but it's a coming together. And Kyle Walker leans in. And as they're touching foreheads, Kyle Walker then goes down like a sack of potatoes. And which is, you know, it's shithousery, which is one of my favorite words and actions. And so, you know, I think they both got booked, if I'm not mistaken. But yeah, I mean, Kyle Walker.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I was like, bro, come on. I actually don't mind it. I think sometimes when, you know, I think the referee in those moments, I like when the referee is like strong and basically looks at him just like, get up. Like, stop this nonsense. Everybody get up. There was nothing in it. You're getting a booking. You're getting a booking. Let's go.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Anyway. There's a follow on from that after the match. Cause Hoyland wasn't ready to let it go. I'll let you read the quote.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I love it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Here's why. Because... Hoyland, his price tag's too big for him, and he's a young player. Right. Price tag's too big.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Maybe he, he, I would say maybe it's not his fault.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
He's underperformed. He's underperformed.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Well, it's his fault. He's underperformed. A hundred percent.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
That, but not, I like him as, as a young striker. What I would say is since you've gotten to United, your team has stunk. You've underperformed. And by the way, if they had won this Darby last season, He wouldn't have said that. It's really easy to kick city when they're down. So this social media, I think it was on Instagram, wherever it lives, It's very convenient to me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
What I prefer is that he just keeps doing the business. And look, you can say whatever you want on your own social media. Again, it's for me to judge at this point, but it's not for me to do. If you want to do it, that's fine. It's just a very convenient manner. I think he got caught up in the emotion of it because as I said, had they beat a title winning city last season,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
in that season and they won the Derby, he wouldn't have said those things. No, there's no chance he would have. Okay, so that's my point. I agree.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah, it's an interesting one for me, LD, because... The same decision was taken, but they're not the same for me. Because... What do you mean? Well, I think going forward, it's not going to be the same, right? I think there's two players at different points of their United career.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
So, yeah, I mean, to your point, there's going to be a time in that game where Ameren's saying, I wish I could have them. But I think when you're a manager and you take such a strong stance about player selection, you know that going into it. You basically are telling yourself... this is a big decision and there's going to be some fallout from this, but I have to, for the greater good of the team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And I think, I think his quotes in one of our amazing producers, we'll probably put this up on our screen at some point. There was a quote from Ameren. He named a number of things that you have to do to get in his team. Right. And, and, Any number of those things is what Garnaccio and Rashford weren't doing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah, and look, here's the quote. He said, for me, it's important, the performance in training, the performance in games, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with your teammates, the way you push your teammates, all of that's important, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
So what he's basically saying there is either one or all of those things, probably most of those things, are something he doesn't like and he's not seeing. The issue, what I would say, and this speaks to the... enormity of the job and the task that Ruben Alvarez has is this club has been littered with mediocrity for so long. The standards have dropped. There's not a lot of leaders.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Like, by the way, for the record, I was at United three years. You can say I was amazing or I sucked. It doesn't matter. What I do know is I was inside those walls for four years. And I can assure you, Sir Alex Ferguson, let me scroll, would never have had to say, the performance in training isn't good. In games, the way you dress, you know why?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Because Gary Neville and Roy Keane would have been like, what are you wearing? That ain't correct. You eat like crap. Sort yourself out, right? Because the leadership structure at Manchester United was so strong within the dressing room. So that would have never had to, that would have never had to been said on the outside. And so look, I think when I look at Marcus Rashford,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
He's a player I really like. I think he's a player who at one point in time, a couple of years ago, did some things on the pitch that we thought this kid is world-class. He's playing for England. He's going to continue to be world-class. I think what we've seen is maybe he's not the guy who just always wants the ball.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Maybe he's a squad player who wants to kind of fit in, get in the slipstream and be a really, really good Premier League player. And by the way, That's actually okay because I think some of the things he does off the field are brilliant. I think he's a top talent, whether that's at Manchester United or not. His time at Manchester United feels like it could be coming to an end.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
That's my personal opinion. Now, Garnaccio, supremely talented. Young player. He's got magic in his boots. Can play on the left side, can play on the right side. This is a matter of he's not been schooled since he's gotten to the club. There's been zero leadership internally in the dressing room.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
He's somebody who needs direction and boundaries, and I think Amram could be the guy who gives it to him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
All of us. I think why I give Todd Boley so much credit is because I was one of those people. Confused, right? We're all confused by...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
um you know he comes from a baseball background right and so we understand when when you look at city currently you look at everton and nottingham forest right these are teams that were um knocked back by profit and sustainability rules right there was there was it was a mess for some of these clubs they're getting fined and docked points and all that and todd bowley's come in and he's basically said we're gonna we're gonna
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
only sign young players under a certain age. We're going to extend these contracts instead of giving them two, you know, three-year contracts with an option. These are like seven, eight, nine-year contracts. We've never seen that, right? And to add to the confusion, right, with Todd Boley, it was, he had Graham Potter as a manager, Lampard was in there, Tuchel, Pochettino, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
So it was chaotic. And maybe by design, but the thing about Todd Boley that I found interesting was when you're in the position like he is, and things aren't going right, you automatically come out and defend yourself. He didn't do that. Which added to the mystery.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
When your team stinks and what you're trying to put in place isn't working, these young players weren't working, this bloated squad of 30 plus players wasn't working. You continually bring in managers who have to deal with this bloated squad and then you sack them very quickly. This sounds and feels like chaos. Now that the dust is settling, and Maresca, by the way, Enzo Maresca, hats off to you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
LD, what's up, brother? Listen, I just want to start by saying it was so good having you on my side of the country. You don't often come this way to New York City because you are very much a Cali boy. Did you enjoy it? Please tell me why.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah, look, I'm so excited for Gio Reyna because… He's a kid, right? So he'd hate me for saying he's a kid because he'd probably look at me and say, no, I'm a grown man because this is what kids do, right? I tell my daughter the same thing. She's a little girl. She's like, no, I'm not. I'm going to college. She still has a lot to learn, right? As they all do.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
You can already probably have manager of the season. He's doing that good of a job. is he trimmed the squad. He basically said, you're Raheem Sterling's and you're people who I don't have any use for, which is fine. Your surplus requirements, feel free to move on. Right? He did at the beginning of the season.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Then he basically said, look, we are in a European competition, a Premier League competition. I'm going to have a Premier League 11, most likely, and then I'm going to have a midweek 11. Right? And the two aren't really going to blend. I'm not going to chop and change too much. These are going to... And that's what those young players needed.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
They needed a belief in... Because what was happening before was the squad was so big with these talented young players. It was always, okay... well, this will be my center back pairing today. And then next week, I'll do another center back pairing. And then you'll play on the wing one week. It didn't work, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And Enzo Marusco has come in and has been so incredibly strong and said, if I'm the manager, this is how we're going to do it. And we're starting to see the success of the youngest team in the Premier League. I mean, absolutely flying high. And look, the talent is there. Clearly, Tal Boli wasn't signing bad players. He was signing really talented young players. But with that comes some worry.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And right now they're getting it right. I mean, there's a lot of surprises in this season. City's downfall being one of them. Where Nottingham Forest is, and we'll talk about that in a second. That's a surprise, but I mean, Jesus. Chelsea and Liverpool at the top of the table battling it out. That for me is just like, you would have never thought it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Well, by so many accounts, he's certainly the top goalkeeper on the planet for a lot of reasons, club and country, but in the top three, of course. I jumped out of my seat when I saw it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I just think when there's a reaction save and that save is basically behind the goalkeeper, so a goalkeeper has to, in a last-ditch effort, reach behind themselves to claw a ball out, that's when the save starts to gain momentum and kind of become otherworldly. And for me, that was that. It was a reaction. We know his reactions are really good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And for him to be able to claw it out when it was clearly behind his body, nearly behind the line, those are the most impressive. So I thought my hat's off to him again. But he makes so many of those that you're almost like, this somewhat becomes routine. But yeah, look, Nottingham Forest, fourth place in the Premier League. I could have never imagined that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I mean, when I think about before the season, what you'd have got better odds on, or what would have surprised you more? Would it be Nottingham Forest in fourth place, or would it be Manchester City's downfall? I'm not sure you'd get odds on either of them.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Why I'm so excited for Gio Reyna is because he's a generational talent. You know, people constantly come up to me and you. I could, if I clicked on a search engine right now, they'd say, when's America going to produce the next great... world-class player. And when are we going to win a world cup? That's the question on everyone. This is a world-class player. He has, he has generational talent.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah, it's interesting because you never want to see managers get sacked or lose their job. The fact of the matter is in the Premier League, with the business being so high and the financial structure that is global football, managers will get sacked in the Premier League. And the fact of the matter is Wolves and Southampton are firmly rooted in the bottom three and they're just not playing well.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I think it's a cautionary tale, and this is a big debate, is do you go and play expansive football or do you just try and stay in the Premier League by hook or by crook? And I think you have to have a plan A, B, and possibly C going into the season so that it doesn't feel like a radical change when you do it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Look, what I would say is I'm very interested to see what names pop up for these jobs because both of these teams, although there's still time because of when the when the sackings happened, both of these teams are going to struggle to stay up. And so you now have to find a really good manager who's willing to take that challenge on, not easy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Hey, it's Austin James. Yes, I'm living with diabetes, but it doesn't have to define me. Thanks to the Freestyle Libre 3 Plus sensor, I get real-time glucose readings throughout the day. The Freestyle Libre 3 Plus sensor is small and easy to wear, giving me the freedom to focus on my life as a parent and a musician. Now this is progress. You can get a free sensor at FreestyleLibre.us.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
He and Christian and maybe one or two other have generational talent that we've, that we've rarely ever seen. I'm excited for him because he's 22 years old. He's a baby. Do you know how much pressure he's had on his shoulders? His dad, who we played with, is a captain of the US men's national team. Those aren't easy shoes to fill. You then have to go over to Europe.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Okay, time for everybody's favorite segment of the week. Well, if it's not everyone's favorite, it's certainly Jordan's favorite because she gets to have air time. Mailbag questions. Jordan, get on in here.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Jordan was there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I know. I know. But you know what? Then you also got your own airtime because I think there was quite a number of times we had to take pictures with you. She said, guys, guys, guys, it's about me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Everything's about you. This segment's about you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
All right. What do you got?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah, I mean, the one that stands out is I don't remember if, and I have traded jerseys with guys who I didn't like or didn't like me. And because again, it is, as we're saying, it's the ultimate sign of respect. Like it's literally, forget anything else. That's like, okay, this person and I understand each other. And I remember... 2015, Diego Costa and I at Goodison Park.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Diego Costa was a brilliant striker for Chelsea at the time. And he was always mixing it up and we were getting pasted. And so I just thought, here, this was a perfect day. This was one of those stories where it was like the perfect day where I'm like, I suck so bad today that I really want to get sent off because I am so tired of being out here sucking.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And I think we lost 5-1 or something like that at home. It might've been opening weekend. And he had said something to Seamus Coleman, who was my right back and friend. So I got the grips with him and I gripped him up and I was begging for a fight, begging for it. And I couldn't be separated.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And after the game, they, like I said, whooped up on us and we hugged it out and hugged and kissed and walked off the field arm in arm. And it was like this, you just kind of understand that there's- Just part of the show, yeah. It's part of it, right? And you appreciate the competitiveness.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
You then have to carry the weight of, of a non-goalkeeper, right? Because goalkeepers had, US goalkeepers had a ton of success in Europe. You've got to be the one to go over and you have to start in the Champions League and you have to start in the Bundesliga. It's hard, man. It's hard. And he's young.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah. So, James, great question. We at Unfiltered Soccer promise, because we've already talked about it internally, to have a much larger discussion on promotion and relegation at a much higher level than just a short blurb because it's an awesome conversation. It's one that I can tell you for, so I don't, I don't think it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I don't think promotion relegation can work in America, and I'll give you loads of reasons why I think that as we go forward in these podcasts. A lot of it starts with the conversation about what Landon just spoke about in terms of valuation and losses and profits. So what I would say, and this is the fun part about it, I have had multiple conversations. I'm still on the side of no.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I'm excited for him because over the next couple of years, his growth and maturation, I think is going to skyrocket. And he now has an opportunity to go, no, this is mine. This isn't my dad's. This isn't any expectation. This is just me. And I'm figuring out, because by the way, he's figuring out how to play football.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I've had multiple promotion relegation conversations with people who I trust and who I respect and who I love. These are agents. These are head of leagues. These are owners. And I've staunchly argued my point against, and I've walked away from that conversation saying, And thought, I can see it happening. I can see it happening for the reasons I've been told.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
So it's a debate that, look, I would happily jump on board with anything that continues to grow the game of soccer in this country. So that's hands down. If that means yes or no, I'm on board. I just currently, for my own feelings, think that it won't work. And there's some valuable conversations around that that we'll have.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I'm like, that's all I do is work.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah, great question. Great answer, LDI. Look, for me, it's about individuals creating community around the game. And what is creating community around the game? Landon said, go to a game. Absolutely. There's so many levels of the game that you can support, whether that be the highest level or everywhere in between.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Go to bars, restaurants, watch games with friends, support local soccer teams in your community, play sports.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
um you know sign up for leagues anything that surrounds the game you know it's interesting now that i now that i don't kick a ball and i i can no longer play or don't want to play if i'm brutally honest i have so many opportunities in my everyday life to just create community around the game yes some of my jobs mean that but
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
the highest level he's figuring out how to be an adult i mean these are all we all dealt with this it's impossible and most people fail and i'm just so excited for him um you know that he's back playing i love that he got another opportunity to play again and he produced because that's what it's about ld it literally is about saying particularly as an american i've said this quite a lot about myself about christian when he was at um chelsea um about so many of my teammates
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
watch games, talk to coaches just offline, not not not official capacities, just connect people within the game. And I obviously have a platform to do that. But in general, in your local communities, I just think you just have to continue to create the community around soccer and people will get excited. And the great thing is you could be the steward for that cause, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And so you could get people in your office and say, let's go grab a beer. Everyone wants to go hang out and be around people they like and then introduce them to soccer, you know? And I think that's important. Just watch it on TV. Love that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Jordan, thank you. Thanks, Jordan.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Well, I think the House of Cards, part of it is when you look at the Philadelphia Eagles last year, that was a bit of the knock on them of why things imploded, right? And so maybe there's a carry-on effect to what you're saying. There's some truth in that. A couple things.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I know people are going to say, and of course it's not politically correct, nor should you say it, that I'm a soft soccer player and all we do is get fouled and roll around. That's fine. The fact of the matter is football is so overaggressive. I'm not talking about the tackling and the hitting. That's brilliant.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I feel like I never see a conversation on the sideline that's anything other than some guy being beat red in the face shouting. It's just such an over-aggressive thing. And by the way, if you ever watch me play, I like to shout. That's not my point. But it always surprises me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
It's different when you're an American. You'll never convince me otherwise, which means every single day you've got to go out and train and perform like your life depended on because that's the only thing that's going to get you in a team. So I was super happy for him that he produced. And you know what? He was rewarded for it. So long may that continue because I think it's awesome.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Like in football, there's so much energy and emotion and adrenaline that that's all they do is just yell and scream for no apparent reason.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
It's just testosterone, dude. It is.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And so when I think about... But the funny part of that is I always think it's interesting like...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
on the on the outside we only see we only see it from one point of view right and um either maybe we're at the game but most of the time we see it on television from an angle and it's a replay the same angle of people arguing but i've been these you know you and i have been in these dress rooms together i've been in dress rooms where it's all kicked off and things have been said to
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
The head coach, and I always think the head coach, that's the top of the pyramid, right? That sanctity can never be broken. And I remember being in a dressing room where literally my best friend on the team, who, if I stood up to him, would literally just go, boom, and pummel me into the ground. That's how strong he was. And I remember there being an argument with...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
to your point, with him who was very much an alpha male for whatever that means in today's society. He was like, it was his way or the highway. This is my best friend. And there was a, the coach said something to him, didn't like, did something that he didn't like. So my friend stands up and I think, oh God. And everyone thought, oh God. This is after a loss.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
He was literally going to hit our head coach. And I remember getting up from my stool and beelining it for my best friend and thinking, he's going to have to smash me first, which he would have. But I'm not going to let him hit. Even if I agree with my best friend, he cannot... do anything to my head coach. You cannot hit him. He cannot do it because once that happens, everything's lost.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Um, thankfully I did not get beat up that day. Um, nor did our head coach, uh, at some point hours later, cooler heads prevail. But yeah, I, I, I agree. If you're the head coach, ultimately you have carte blanche to say and do whatever you want, whether people like it or not. So, um, we just have to be respected.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah, it's hard. What I would say is being a Giants fan, any dysfunction in Dallas or in Philadelphia, I appreciate. It makes me happy. So long may it continue. Sorry, Eagles fans probably won't be at an Eagles game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah, thanks, everybody. It absolutely is not in my contract. I'm here for all of our listeners every week. Hit me up whenever you like, and we'll connect. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, VW. Have an amazing week. We'll see you in two weeks for another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Enjoy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I mean, I think that what you said is so poignant. The fact that we expect two Americans to just be on the field for Juve and to perform is like, wow, we've come a long way. We've come a long way. And that's not a we thing. That's a massive credit to Weston. Yeah, that's a they thing. I mean, they are putting that work in every day. Also, what I love about them is they've got that pizzazz, man.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
They've got that arrogance that I just love in particularly attacking players. But Weston, for me, is special, man. He's got an engine like no other. He breaks things up. constantly. He's always on the go. You know, he gets the ball off of our center backs and our goalkeeper and our fullbacks. And then the next thing, you know, that's your expectation. And then he filters things. He creates tempo.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Next thing you know, he's getting on the end of a header at the back post, like constantly being dang gold dangerous. And I just thought, you know, we throw this, we throw this turnaround box to box midfielder. And I think it's lost its luster a little bit because of your double six and the pivot, your false nine. Like he's, he's really very much a box to box midfielder.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And yeah, I was super stoked for those guys.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah, at Dortmund, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Look, money makes the world go round. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's more money, it's more games, it's more eyes. TV rights are going up. There's an issue here. There's a log jam at the top and there's more games being added because there's more money involved. Now, what I would say is, You touched on it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
The biggest issue for me, because look, I think if my team's in the Club World Cup and I'm playing on one of the biggest teams in the world, I mean, in the moment, I'm probably excited to compete at that level. A trophy's on the line, so I can get myself excited for that. I think the difficult part, LD, is at the end of every season, right? In England, it was...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
It was the Premier League being finished no matter where you placed European places or winning the title or staving off relegation. Maybe you're in a cup final, an FA Cup. Maybe there's a Champions League final, but then you're done. And you're like, I'm going to go with a different group of guys. I'm going back with my national team. I'm going to refocus.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
It's hard to continue on that road even further with your club team because you need that break. But more importantly for the US, right? Because this is USLNT. There is no World Cup qualifying. very limited availability to get your best players in the trenches together when it matters.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Being on the road, playing back-to-back games, three games in the course of 10 days, getting into the next round, regrouping, trying to get advanced, get to a final. There's no opportunity for that. This is the opportunity. The Gold Cup is the opportunity. When this opportunity goes, and if potentially three of our best six players, Weston, Timwea, and Gio Reyna are missing from that,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
That for me is a problem. And forget me. I got a nice, amazing studio in New York. That's a problem for Mr. Pochettino. Huge problem. So I wonder if there's going to be any wiggle room. I wonder how much power and influence U.S. soccer can have. I hope U.S. soccer can have the influence and just say, look, We're going to flex our muscles here.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I don't know how you do that. At one point, you were trying to talk to me and your jaw was like starting to freeze and you couldn't speak, which is a real thing. I know, I was like, I'll let it, I'll let it. It was fun. You know what I loved?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
And if we need to create some sort of dust-up with the clubs, so be it. Because I think in this matter, it's important that U.S. soccer and Mauricio Pochettino say, absolutely zero chance I'm playing without those three.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
My argument would be we agree on what the rights fee was for the Club World Cup. What I would say is I'm U.S. soccer, and I got just as much money involved in the 2026 World Cup as they do, and it matters more to me. And so U.S. soccer and Pochettino have to fight their corner as strongly as FIFA is going to fight theirs. No, they will.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
having a good World Cup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, shout out to Anthony Robinson, former teammate of mine at Everton. Many people probably don't know that. Did you? Was he there? I forgot that. No. Yeah. He was on the fringes of the first team. When we were there, good kid, man. Really, really good kid. Someone who's easy to root for, but playing well.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I think maybe, maybe pre, pre one of our world cups, we did something in Times Square, but I'm also thinking like, I feel like you and I have had a decent amount of success in the game. And I'm like, I'm not sure I've ever stood in Times Square with like my name, with my name plastered on a moving billboard. You might have. No, I haven't. That was insane. That's cool. It was awesome.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
Yeah, as you said, just his ability to get up and down the flanks and continuously put in dangerous crosses. Again, two assists this weekend. It was... Yeah, you talk about oftentimes the special players coming from the spine of the team, right? Like in the heart of the midfield or goal scorers. But his...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
his ability to contribute on both ends for Fulham in the Premier League and for the US Men's National Team. I mean, can't say enough good things about Anthony Robinson and, you know, another player, you know, touch wood, but he seems to be not only consistent, but constantly available, constantly playing big, big minutes and big moments. So that's a big one for us.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
It's a really interesting point you make. Let me dive into that a little bit. So when you're playing a little bit, and I can attest to this when I was playing at Manchester United, I was a fringe player, right? So my only thought was like, how do I not screw up so that I can try me, that I can play next week, right? When I got to Everton and I was like, I'm putting in performances every week.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
I'm going to play every week because I'm consistent. My thought became less about me and it became more about the fans and the performance and the internal struggles of a team. And how do I be part of the solution instead of the problem? And that only came through consistency of playing, ownership of the team, responsibility.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Club World Cup vs Gold Cup, Drama in the Manchester Derby, and Promotion/Relegation in MLS
When you play a lot, other players look around at you and they're like, all right, well, he's got to have the answers. What are the answers, Tim? What are the answers, Landon? And so when you start to play those big minutes and it starts becoming less about you because you're like, I've already figured me out. I know I'm going to be on the team sheet.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
I've seen it, Tim, in lots of tournaments where one slip up and you go, oh no, now it's U.S.-Mexico in the quarterfinals. Now that I said I don't care, I'm backtracking. I got you. Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S. Soccer for the past five years. LD, what's happening, kid?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
side of the goal right so people don't understand when you put a wall in front of you as a goalkeeper you're telling your wall you protect that side of the goal i got this half yeah okay right am i right yes okay i got this half so what we would always say is goalkeeper should never get beat to his side of the goal yes ever because that's why the wall's there otherwise put the players somewhere else and just take the free kick straight up like let's go mano a mano
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
So they're great free kicks and he hits them well, but like all of a sudden, this is so the internet, dude, this is so the world we live in. It's like, is he one of the best free kick takers in the world? And I'm like, are you kidding me, dude? Like, stop. He had two good free kicks. I'm not taking that away from him, but get out of here.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Like a few days, but a few days. Tim, to see it in a game is great. But when you just sit there and watch rep after rep after rep hits the same spot every time, you're just like, this is wild, dude. It's like watching Steph Curry shoot threes in warm-ups. You're like, what the hell, dude? This is insane.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Yeah. I mean, not every, no, I know way more than anybody else ever. That's like by a long shot.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Why would I join him? You're going to go shoot threes while Steph's just knocking down everyone. Like just look like an idiot. Just clank, clank, clank.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
All right, Timmy, it is time for the Unfiltered Refresh, sponsored by our friends at Coors Light. Choose chill, get Coors Light delivered. Go to CoorsLight.com slash USLNT. All right, so if you are a Liverpool fan, you are refreshed because Mo Salah finally has agreed to a two-year extension. And remember, Tim, there was a long time here where It was in the media. He was talking about it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
He was saying, I'm more out than I am in for next year. And this was a whole ordeal. So congrats to Liverpool fans. The wrong side of Liverpool, unfortunately. for us, but Mo Salah has been an absolute legend in the city for Liverpool. And refreshing to everyone involved, cheers to you guys that he will now be there for two more years.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And it sounds like Virgil van Dijk is close on his heels with a new deal too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
They're fine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And by the way, Virgil van Dijk spoke to this too. They're going to bring in some players. I mean, he's alluding to the fact that they're going to bring in players in the summer too. And so their transition has been, it's what people should study going forward when a legendary manager leaves because they win the title, they're doing well, they keep players, and they're going to go spend money.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
I mean, Arnesla hasn't even had time now to really properly build his squad, like a proper transfer window. So this will be very... It's Klopp's team, isn't it? Yeah, right. So very refreshing for all Liverpool fans. Should be a long and good and fruitful many years to come. Moving to a little further north, Newcastle United, Wallop, Manchester United.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Tim, we talk about this stuff and where we want to go with it, and I was just thinking to myself, literally as I'm saying it right now, what a sad place we've gotten to where I look at a 4-1 scoreline that United's on the other end of, and I'm like, yeah, that's about right. Can you imagine them ever losing 4-1 and people would be going crazy? Yeah, yeah. And you're just like, ho-hum.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Another loss.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
By the way, do they write contracts for these NIL deals? Did he get the $10 million up front? No, no, no. So he won't get the rest.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Yeah. I always tell people winning is contagious. Yeah. Losing is also contagious. And they just walk onto the field right now and they expect to lose. They do. I mean, there's zero fight left in that. And everyone's resigned themselves to the fact that the season's gone. It's just sad, man. But congrats to Newcastle doing the business. They have a midweek game now against Palace.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
The only way to say this, Tim, is, I mean, is this, I know we've said it a million times, but it feels like Ang, even with his comments, the manager, it just feels like he's done. after this year. It just feels like, I don't know, you, you might have a better feel on it, but like, um, I, the way he talks, it's like, you know, he said, I was watching this weekend.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
He said a report, he said to a reporter, he's like, you know, whether I win a trophy or not, it doesn't matter. I'm out in the summer, as you guys have said.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Well, they've been hurt. There have been a lot of injuries.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Yeah, absolutely. Everyone has injuries.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Who would have guessed, Tim, that 32 games into the season, Everton would be above United and Spurs in the table? Yeah, that's crazy. That is incredible. Incredible. All right, let's take a break. We will talk U.S. men's national team on the other side, right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Stick around.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Yeah, Suriname's actually a good team. Like a sneaky good team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
The only question I got from all of my friends is, how the hell is Saudi Arabia in the gold cup?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
I said, why do you think they're in the gold cup, buddy? So cynical. Oh, they have a lot of money. So I said, yeah, that's how they get.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
So there's always an invite. So you go make as much money as you can from like, it was Qatar last time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
So whatever. Saudi Arabia is a decent team, by the way. That is not a walkover. Trinidad, not great. Haiti are a sneaky good team. So my eyes went to this first, and shame on me because I didn't do all the due diligence, but my guess is that the Group D winner would play the Group C runner-up. And so this is aligned correctly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
just the way CONCACAF wants it, and just the way, hopefully, us US fans want it. But my eyes jumped ahead, Tim. I couldn't help it to a potential US Panama or US Jamaica in the next round. That is under what is now, unfortunately, an assumption that we can, at this time, not make, that we get out of the group. So do I think we should get out of this group? Absolutely.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
It's wild, wild west, dude.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
But Haiti is a sneaky good team. Saudi Arabia is a sneaky good team. And the two performances we last saw from this U.S. group, they could absolutely not win those two games. So I think we will. I think there will be a response. But it certainly adds more intrigue to this Gold Cup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
That's crazy. As always, guys, follow us on social media, Unfiltered Soccer. Subscribe to the show on YouTube and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anywhere you get your podcasts. Leave a rating. Helps people find us. And you can email us, email Jordan at feedback at unfilteredsoccer. All right, Timmy, let's start in MLS. Big weekend in Vancouver. Jeez, they've had a week, man.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
fighting together fighting for the manager the manager fighting for them and winning the gold cup that's when that's when i'll be i'll be really interested well i want i i'm asking this us group as a fan give us something to get excited about ahead of next summer right so like give us a real performance in the gold cup Get us excited.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And we're going to spend a lot of time breaking all this down as we get into the Gold Cup. You guys tell us, by the way, what players do you want to hear from? Who do you want us to interview, talk to? Maybe Pochettino. Who do you want to hear from? And we'll do our best to get them on the show so we can talk to them ahead of this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
let's agree that they need to give us something to get excited about as we head into next summer, because the last few games were really demoralizing. And so let's hopefully get to the end of June, Tim, beginning of July and say, all right, Now we feel good about this team, and now we can be excited going into 26.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Why would they do that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Because it's like maybe as they play it out down the road, then the U.S.-Mexico don't play in the final. Because for people who don't know, CONCACAF, U.S. Soccer, Mexican Federation, everybody wants U.S.-Mexico in the final. It's the most money. It's the highest prestige, everything.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
I mean, I've seen it, Tim, in lots of tournaments where one slip up and you go, oh no, now it's US-Mexico in the quarterfinals.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
They advanced with late goal in the Champions Cup. And then this weekend, Brian White, four goals against Austin FC.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Yeah, that's true.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Third game or if it's a bad first game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Well, also to your point earlier that there are only so many games, right? We've said this so many times. So do you even really want to rest guys? I mean, I want them playing six games together as a group. I hear you. In a tournament that matters. I know. So, yeah. All right. We're going to have plenty of that. We got long lead up next few months into the Gold Cup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Let's go to some notable US MNT performances over the weekend. Christian was awesome in a 4-0 dismantling of Udinese. He had another assist. He's now got 10 assists in Serie A, the most by any player in the league, period. Incredible. He's also, thanks to our stat people, leads all players in chances created, 59 key passes. So he is the heartbeat of that team offensively.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
They're top of the table after eight games. They're in the semifinals of the Champions Cup. Good things happening in Vancouver. Yep. I think, I'm trying to remember, I think I scored four goals one time in my careers with the national team against Cuba. Scoring four goals. You maybe. You probably didn't do much that day. I think it was like 7-0. Scoring four goals in a game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
He's not always on the score sheet. He often has been, but he, you know, everything goes through him and he's, he's just had an awesome season. And I've said this before, Tim, it's why with the national team, I, I feel bad for him because he cares. He's invested in it. And when he has to be a part of some of those performances, I'm sure it's devastating.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
But he's had a phenomenal year, and I hope it continues out through May from now on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Also in Italy, some disturbing news. Weston McKinney played. They won their game. I believe they won 2-1. But a really disturbing article came out. He is one of 13 players being investigated for illegal online betting in Italy. Now, I want to clarify, they were not betting on... I don't think they were betting on sport. I think they were playing online poker or something.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
They were doing something. But it is prohibited. It is illegal. No, he will not be going to jail. He'll get fined. I don't think they'll suspend the players. But it's just one of those things where it's like, what are you doing? What are you doing?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
You just don't need that in your life. So hopefully it's in the past and move on. But in Scotland, CCV Cameron Carter Vickers had a phenomenal goal. The goal's great, Tim, I'll be honest. I don't really care when the defender scores. It's like an Instagram thing. It's amazing. That's great, whatever. Just keep the ball out of the net. By the way, I'm not hammering Cameron Carter.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
I'm just saying in general. Oh, great goal. It was a great goal. And I'm happy for him. But I want him to show up next camp with the national team, play games, and help us get four shutouts out of six games. That's where I want. But congrats to him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Google Tim's goal, by the way. I was on the field that day.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
It was great. Awesome. A little concerning news in Holland, in Netherlands. Serginio Das missed... both this week and last week's game. And we've been digging, Tim, trying to figure out what's going on. I don't know what's going on there. He came back after his ACL and has been playing a little bit. So a little concerned. We're just going to keep an eye on this. I hope it's nothing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
at any level as a professional is a big deal, man. Big deal. And it's one of those things where everything has to go right. Because generally in a game like that, if it's a good game for you, you're going to get three, four, maybe five pretty quality chances. And so everything's got to go right. So congrats to Brian Wright. Congrats to Vancouver. If you are Mauricio Pochettino...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
I hope they're just smartly bringing him back into the fold. But that's not good news. Usually you want minutes starting to increase now, and let's hope that it's nothing serious.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Also there, a goal from Malik Tillman. He keeps scoring, man, and keeps playing well.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
He's going to be an interesting one to follow in the Gold Cup. I'm assuming he's there because not talked about a lot, kind of off people's radar, but he's playing, playing lots of minutes and playing well.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
All right. Last thing elsewhere in Europe. If you didn't see, if you're living under a soccer rock, Kylian Mbappe was shown a red card. Tim, this was so bizarre. Again, I wasn't watching it live, but I get the clip and I'm like, Mbappe did that? If you just go Google it and YouTube it, it's bizarre. It's such a violent challenge. It's such a violent challenge.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And it was, I mean, unequivocally a red card. You cannot in any... In any league, any time in history, it's a red card. It's just bizarre. What do you think he was thinking? He just lost his mind for a minute?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
We all have moments, Tim, where you just like a rush of blood to the head and you do something crazy. you normally otherwise wouldn't do. But man, I just, it was bizarre. It was bizarre. Let's hope that doesn't happen again. And like, will it impact the title race now, right? And it'd be interesting. All right, let's take another break. When we come back, we'll get into your questions.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
JR told me before the episode that she has some heat for me. Usually they come after you Tim.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And just so people know, during the AT&T Fan Connection, we do not hear the questions beforehand. So we want to get them live and we're going to talk about all that right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim presented by Volkswagen. Stay right there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Before the naughty.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
I mean, you got to pay attention, right? A guy who's in form. I mean, he's the opposite right now of Brandon Vasquez a little, who we haven't heard much of and ironically played in that game. But Brian White's doing the business, dude.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
You said Adam?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Yeah, I mean, he's a lifelong fan, right? And so he's seen what this club can be. And that's what's hard. If this is who you were for 30 years in MLS, you're just kind of like, eh, that's what it is. I mean, I hate to say it to him because you played for him, but the Rapids have a little bit of that. It's like, I'm not going to go crazy and spend and just be... But they've seen the glory days.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Adam's seen the glory days. He knows what this can be. And so we're not here to effectuate change. We say it like we see it. It's not good, man. And I don't like it because I love that club and I love when they're a good part of the league.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Okay, Bethany.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
All right. So let me break this down, Bethany. So you said it yourself. You said, haven't they had that support from U.S. soccer, the men? Yes, they have from U.S. soccer. What they haven't had, to my knowledge, and I've been in it my whole adult life, is a Michelle Kang who came in and said, and Tim said this perfectly last week, here's the money, but guess what comes with the money?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
My ideas, my decisions, I'm going to tell you how to invest it, what to do. U.S. soccer has given the men's team plenty of resources and has not adequately, in my mind, provided the women the same resources. And I've publicly changed my mind on my whole view of that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
What the men's side needs is somebody who's willing to come in and say, this is not working, especially from a youth development perspective, and this is how we're going to change it. And, and here, if, if you don't want to change it fine, but that 55 million isn't, it's not coming in. So I understand why it hit a nerve, but you're, you're, you're conflating two completely different things.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
US soccer needed to, and finally did support the women in the right way, but we need an investor in my opinion, on the men's side. And by the way, there's lots of wealthy people in the world who donate lots of money to lots of things. There has to be wealthy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
us billionaires, millionaires, whatever, who are willing and would like to invest that kind of money as well and, and be a pioneer the way Michelle Kang is. So we, we agree on some things. Um, but I think you're conflating two different things there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
You can challenge. Keep me honest. It's fine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm flip-flopping. Bethany got, Bethany struck a chord. Bethany got you. All right, I'm still, I'm still like, okay. All right, fine. It is called, it is called Twitter.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
For all the things we want CONCACAF to change and do, now I'm to the point where I'm like, don't ever change. Just do CONCACAF, do CONCACAF, because it's fun, dude. Now that I'm not in it, when I was in it, I was like, this is a disaster. Now I'm like, let's go, dude. Let's just madness. Let the chaos ensue.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
I mean, Joey, there are so many. So I'm assuming, hopefully, Joey is a soccer player. If you play enough years, you're going to have tons of amazing memories, like tons and tons. I was just reminiscing. This is one not on the field, but after the 2010 Algeria win in the locker room after the game because –
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
First of all, when in a FIFA locker room, there is so much security and it's so hard for people to get into the locker room or be around because of all the obvious reasons, security, etc. I think at one point I walk in and Reggie Bush is in there, who's a former Heisman Trophy winner. Bill Clinton's in there. All of the US soccer people. There's just random people sitting.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And within minutes, it's just a party. Everyone's just drinking beers, shotgunning beers, partying. It was the most bizarre scene, Tim. It was so bizarre. But that's one of the... It just popped into my head right now. But there's just so many moments where... you almost think, like, this can't be real. And especially the way our lives started. You're like, this is a joke.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
So that was an amazing moment.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Since we have one of our producers on the show, Jordan, make sure you cut out that first part with all the drinking and beers and buzz for Joey. I was going to say, Joey, when you get to be 21st Street responsibly. It's fine, Joey. But good question, Joey. Great question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
JR, thank you. Okay. Anything but soccer. Let's go. I'm so pumped on this. I know you're pumped for this. I'm so pumped on this. I know you're pumped for this. What do you got for me? So the Masters, golf.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
I just heard like half of our audience turn off. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
All right. So golf. So yesterday, Tim, and if people follow golf or whatever or don't, But it's an amazing sport, and it's really, really hard. It's really hard. And so we're hanging out at the pool all day yesterday, watching the Masters on and off. We get to Dodger Stadium, and we're down.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
There's a part of Dodger Stadium called the Dugout Club where you can have food and drinks and all that before the game. And we're in there, and the Dodger game's about to start. But Rory McIlroy is on the 18th fairway. in his normal round. And all he has to do is make par to win the Masters. He's up by one stroke. He hits his second shot from 120 yards.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And just for context, 120 yards for a pro, on average, they're about 15 to 20 feet to the pin when they hit their shot. Which is, then if he makes two putts from 15 feet, he's the champion. He hits his shot into the bunker, hits his bunker shot out to about five feet And for people who don't know Rory McIlroy's history, he missed two putts at the U S open a few years ago from about five feet.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
So if you think about mentally what's going on through, it's like, if I missed a penalty in a world cup and then the next world cup, I got a penalty and I'm like, oh my God, no. So he's in his head. He misses the five foot putt makes bogey. And now he goes to a playoff. Okay. So, and then I'm going to take you back a few hours.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
He was two shots up to start the day and double bogeyed the first hole. So he had this up and down roller coaster where he probably thought he was going to win the tournament four times and probably thought he was going to lose it three times. Anyway, they go to a playoff on the 18th hole. He makes birdie, like stuffs the ball to like two feet on his second shot and makes birdie.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
How are you? Good morning. I'm tired, Tim. I had a long weekend.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And the cool thing about this, I don't know if you saw any of the highlights to me, but right when the putt goes in, he loses it. I have like crazy chills right now. And he breaks down and he's bawling his eyes out. I mean, bawling. And the reason why is because those putts he missed at the US Open, the putt he missed in regulation, all of that weighs on you. And I have an important analogy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
All of that weighs on you. And then the emotion just flew out of him. And I love that because, one, I love golf, but I love sports. And there is nothing, I always say to people, there is nothing that will take you on an emotional roller coaster in real time the way sports do. There's nothing in life that compares to that. And after our Algeria game that we were just referencing, I broke down.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
In an interview, I broke down afterwards because I had gone through
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
a really hard time after 06 having a really bad world cup and then a lot of things in my personal life and this was a culmination of an important moment coming to fruition and so i could feel it in him and if you haven't seen just go watch his last putt and the emotion that comes out for guys who are generally very stoic and golf and all this it was really cool to watch
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Really well said, man. It was fun. It was an awesome week. And congrats to him. He now has a career Grand Slam. So he's won all four majors. It was really cool to watch. Question for you. Yeah. Question for you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
It's a fair question. Well, I'll say this. Not all of them, but not zero. That's amazing. I would definitely give away a few to have a green jacket. I really thought your answer would be all of the lot. No, I'm not going to take all of them. But like 05, we weren't great. We kind of snuck in there. And we didn't even deserve to win in the final.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Actually, I was just going to say, have you been?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
I know you don't like golf, but being there, first of all, just the way it's manicured, just the landscape is insane.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
It's like a fairy tale.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
It's just cool. And it's cool. By the way, a lot of people aren't baseball fans, but being out on a Sunday at Wrigley Field or at Dodger Stadium or whatever, it's really cool. And it's really special. So I think it's worth it. Just go. And even if it's just one day, just go and...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
enjoy it it's beautiful it's sacred like you can feel it and it's it's really fun great all right thank you guys another great week timmy please don't get me up this early again um worked into it but i was tired this morning too it's probably more of my shenanigans on the weekend that's that's what's up thanks for everything guys always um appreciate the feedback we love your comments your questions and thanks for supporting us it means a lot to us
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
As always, subscribe on YouTube and Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show across all of our social media for all the bonus content we send out all week. And that is at Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
We'll definitely keep track on how they keep doing. NYCFC beat Philly 1-0. The big news, I think this was before the game, the Union traded Daniel Gazdag, their all-time leading scorer. well, I say traded, transferred him for $4.5 million in cash to the Columbus crew. As you know, Houston brought Jack McGlynn earlier in the offseason, I believe, and paid a healthy sum for him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
So they lost Jack McGlynn and Daniel Gazdag. Here's my take on this. So I like when clubs have an identity.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
No, no. I had a long weekend. It's early here, by the way. People don't realize the things I do for you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And I think Dallas is a little bit like this too. FC Dallas is. If that's who you are, then develop players or bring players in and make money on them. And I got no problem with it. And I'm sure fans probably hate it. I'm guessing coaches hate it because all of a sudden your top goal scorer is leaving. But that's fine if that's what you are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And then you'll develop the next one and he'll play for a few years and help you and then you can sell him too. So they can't use the money to help their roster build and that stuff. But if you're an owner who's you know, not one of the wealthiest in the league. You're going to take 4.5 million chips off the table and put it in your pocket and reinvest it maybe into the academy or whatever.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
That's great.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
I went to LA with a group of seven guys, golf guys. So we played golf in LA and then we went to dinner, drinks after, and then hung out all day and then went to the Dodger game yesterday.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Yeah. Well, I think, I believe that's what this mechanism is being set up for, right? And so you're starting to see it now. And when you see it the first few times, you're like, $4.5 million? But the reality is, if you had to go buy a player... in Ecuador or whatever. It's going to cost you that all in for sure. And you don't know. And by the way, you don't know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And you don't know if he's going to make it or not. Correct. You don't know if he's going to adapt. You don't know if he fits the league. You don't know. Yeah, that's right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Yeah, hopefully it changes. The other news at MLS was that they are continuing, they didn't make the decision to change to the universal calendar, meaning the games would start, the league would start August-ish, take a break in December, January, and then come back and finish in May like the rest of the world does.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
They did not decide to implement that, but it almost feels like a little bit like a trial balloon, like they're floating it out there to get people used to the idea of it, and then they'll make the decision to do it. So they're going to continue to evaluate All of it and see, you know, they're going to hire professionals to do analysis on it, studies, whatever.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Why would they do that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And they'll consult with all the stakeholders who it means something to. And I think the key things here, the reason why they can't do it yet and they have to make sure is we've talked about the weather.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
The other piece of it is this also has to be approved by the Players Association. Because if you think of it now, every contract runs through December. So if your contract's up this year, it's December 2025. December 31st is your last payment, right? Or December 15th or whatever. Now, if you change the schedule, what happens to that player? Do they become...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
a free agent then if they started it next year in 2026 and your contract was up December 2026 now you only have a five or six month contract from December 20 or August 2026 to December 20 so there's all these permutations plus sponsors have deals right through December
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
So there's lots of things that have to get changed, and it's a big deal. And you have to give people time to plan for it, think about it, get their contracts sorted out, whatever. So there's a lot to this, but I do think the league will move there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
There's a lot.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
What about you? What'd you do?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
It just feels like it's going to happen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
And as always, it'll come down to money. All right, let's move on to Premier League, or Premier League, as you like to say. City beat Palace 5-2. They were down 2-0 after 20 minutes. But in the end, it looks like they will still be a Champions League team. A little caveat.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
That's so good. I think the biggest talking points the rest of the year will be these Champions League spots. So Villa won away at Southampton 3-0.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Yeah, but good for them. It was a really important win. Forrest lost to our Toffees. That's a bad loss, man, at home. Everton are obviously playing well, but that's a bad loss. Yeah. They've got to be careful. They have to be careful. They've had a great year, but they could slip out of there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
Arsenal, Drew Brantford, they rested a bunch of players. Their focus is on the Champions League. I need to say something real quick. I know we talked about this. I don't want to be a hater here, but the Declan Rice free kicks from the Champions League midweek. If you haven't seen them, go Google and look. Very happy for him. Huge win for Arsenal. It was great.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Mbappe's Red Card, Salah's Contract Signed, & the CONCACAF Gold Cup Draw
But both goals, and you can say I'm an idiot or whatever, but I've been on the field. I've seen it. I played, by the way, with the best free kick taker in the history of the sport, David Beckham, for seven years. So I know what it looks like. Both of them, first one, the wall is disaster. And that's on the goalkeeper. Second one, it's to the goalkeeper's
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
He had a chance to put him in to play against his father. I have a lot of mixed views on this. I think you're passionate about it. I mean, I would have liked him to put him in, right? Now, this is professional soccer. You have a job to do. But if you're losing 2-0 and there's 30 seconds left, put the kid in. Like, if you have a sub, like, put the kid in. So, your thoughts?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And then it'll go away. But those people are still dealing with it. And if you're going to rebuild your home, that's two, three, four years. Or if you're going to find a new place to live, this is a long process. So I hope people keep either donating or helping in any way because this is going to be a long, long rebuild.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And this was happenstance. This wasn't like nobody had to manufacture. This was a draw out of a ball and like two balls.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Yeah, let it happen. All right, so Everton. Lots going on. So Sean Dyche gets sacked. Our old manager more yours than mine. Much more yours than mine. David Moyes is back. Back at Everton. I am, it's like, I'm trying to separate him, the emotional, like thrilled for him and the club and myself and you and us from, okay, what does this actually look like? Is he going to help? Yes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
How much is he going to help? And what's that going to look like? Is this a long-term thing? I know he signed a long contract, I think through 27. So is this like a, a more permanent thing? Is this a just get us through the season thing? But it seems like it's a more permanent thing. So I'm trying to decipher all that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
But most of all, just emotionally taking out the practical, I'm just thrilled for him. I'm thrilled to now go back there and see him and watch the club. I think it's going to be awesome. So give me, I mean, you know him a lot better than I do.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S. Soccer for the past five years.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Agreed, man.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
You're a moron. You're absolute. Dude, he absolutely deserves so much. And he probably didn't deserve to be fired, to be honest, with what he's done, with what he's had. Totally agree.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
I want to remind people, and we've said this before, I've said this before on this show. When I was there in 2010 and 2012, I always heard rumblings when Bill Kenwright, rest his soul, was there about fans would say, we just need more investment, more money. We're a top seven, eight, nine team, but we really want to become a Champions League team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And I always thought to myself, like, do you realize what you have here? This club to be this high every year is phenomenal. So what do you do? Bring in new ownership, more investment. And now for the last three, four, five years, you're fighting relegation every year. Just be careful what you wish for, as you just said, about how you want to play, what you want it to look like.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Would you take a mid-table finish right now if you're an Everton fan? You're damn right you would. Absolutely you would. Correct. So just chill out. David Moyes knows how to win soccer games. He has shown that over and over and over, and I'm excited for him. The FA Cup, Tim, this weekend was fun to watch. There'll be... Some more matchups coming in the future. A few for people to pay attention to.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Exeter City, who are League One, home to Nottingham Forest. That'll be an interesting one. Plymouth Argyle. This is so interesting. It's so funny how these things work out. Plymouth Argyle, who just sacked Wayne Rooney, who is an Evertonian, are now home to Liverpool. So imagine he had still been there. What a match that would have been.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Plymouth are last in the championship, so that'll be really interesting to watch. Birmingham City, who are first now in League One, home to Newcastle, that should be. So there are a lot of other interesting ones, some Premier League matchups, but those will be really fun for people to watch if you like rooting for the underdogs. All right, we're going to take a quick break.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
When we get back, we'll be talking U.S. men's national team on unfiltered soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Soccer. Since 2019, Volkswagen has been on a mission to drive the future of the sport we all love, and VW is committed to making it more diverse, inclusive, and accessible for everyone.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
As a longtime friend of Volkswagen, I've seen firsthand how VW are connecting with fans and driving the sport forward. From working with them on clinics to being part of their incredible campaigns, it's clear. U.S. soccer is truly powered by the people.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Yeah, and some days, the ball just passes you by. Right here on Unfiltered Soccer, we know that no matter how much you love the beautiful game, nothing on the field is guaranteed. Thankfully, AT&T is introducing a brand-new guarantee, the AT&T Guarantee.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Whether you're in the stands, watching with friends, or just cheering from home, you can count on the AT&T guarantee.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
AT&T. Connecting changes everything.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
January camp.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
It's one of the things, Tim, we love about sports. And we've seen it through my life. I've seen it after 9-11. The Yankees can't get goosebumps watching the Yankees play again. And there are moments where it helps people start to recover through sport. And let's hope tonight is that a little bit. But just a reminder, keep everybody at the forefront. And they have a lot of stress and anxiety.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Let me explain something to people who don't get this camp. This camp is crucial. For right now, let's start with Pochettino. Every day he gets with these guys, whether they're on the periphery or they're Walker Zimmerman or someone who's going to be in the World Cup or not, it doesn't matter. Every time you get a chance, when you only have 18 months now, to get in front of the team, it's crucial.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
But for the players, let me take people back. 2001, 24 years ago. January. I had made my debut three months earlier in October for the U.S. national team. So I get invited to this January camp by Bruce. In my mind, I'm thinking, this is my chance. And there's a lot of guys there now in Florida. I think they're in Florida. who are saying, this is my chance to make a World Cup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
I had a good January camp there in 2001, scored a few goals. I think we won the Gold Cup that year. Started playing with the national team because of that. It led me into playing for the national team in 2002. Same thing. We go in in January and I'm like, okay, I got six months before the World Cup. I got to play well in MLS, but this is my 30 days to do it. So come in as fit as you can.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
You're flying ready to go. And I ended up making a World Cup team and the rest is history. For these guys, this is crucial. Absolutely crucial. And for people who are like, oh, it's stupid. They're playing Venezuela and Costa Rica and these games mean nothing. Bullshit, dude. This is a huge, huge opportunity.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And there will be one or two or three players, I promise you, in this camp that you weren't aware of that will make the World Cup team next year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
That's right. And that's, you know, look, we talked about this last week. Pepe playing well right now. But who knows? I mean, we're 18 months away. We don't know what's going to happen. Brandon Vasquez just gets a move to Austin FC, so he's going to be playing all the time now. Flo Baligan, whenever he's back. But then it's like, okay, who's next? Sargent. Who's next?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And for Jesus Ferreira, now you get a move, a fresh start in Seattle. But you get a whole month to show the coach not only what you do in the hour and a half at training, what you're like in the meal room, what you're like in the locker room, what you're like behind the scenes, what you're like in the treatment room, how you treat people, how the group likes you or doesn't like you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
It's a huge opportunity. Huge opportunity.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
So if you can help, please help. Yeah. Um, reminder to follow us, social media, unfiltered soccer, subscribe to the show on YouTube. Make sure you follow an Apple podcast and Spotify. If you like what we're doing, please leave a review rate us. Um, it really helps other people find our podcast. You can also email us at feedback at unfiltered soccer.com. Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Who?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
He only has three less than me before 25.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Early days. You know what's best, though, Tim, about this move for him, honestly, and this is all due respect to FC Dallas. When you play in Seattle... There's like, there's real pressure, right? Like they're writing about you every day. The fans, if you're not doing the job there, he was a little comfortable. I'm sure he would admit in Dallas.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And this happens with a lot of players when they come up and they start with one team. At some point, you've got to get away. Especially if you're a homegrown, you've got to go away. You've got to get out of there. It's not good for you. You're right. So I think this will be good from real pressure on him to produce. And I think this will help him a lot.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
So I think the future for him is bright and hopefully gets himself the opportunity now to play in a World Cup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
So I'll tell you the worst though, Tim, about January, the worst man is, especially back, you know, decades ago is the fitness. And we had a fitness coach, Pierre, who was there and dude, every January camp, it was like, it was hell dude. It was like going to bootcamp.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
So you come in as fit as you can, but all I have met, I have nightmares about some of these fitness drills we did do just to get, cause you're just, you're, if you're there January 2nd or 3rd, you have a game. I think they play on the 18th. 18th. Yeah. You have two and a half weeks. People don't realize that is not a lot of time, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Generally, you have six weeks, five or six weeks in preseason.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
So you're ready for your first game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
So now you have two weeks to try to play 70, 80, 90 minutes. It's brutal, dude. And so they're like, well, either we take our time and we build you in and be ready for February or no. Pochettino's like, no, man, we got to play well. We got to perform. You got two weeks. We're going to kill you for the first week. And you got, sadly, you got a lot of injuries and it's not the right way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
to introduce yourself to a season, but it's just the reality. So hopefully, and I'm sure all these guys came in very fit. So they were ready for it. A few other MLS notes, your guy, my guy, Robin Frazier, you've been beating that drum. You must've been in somebody's here at Toronto, or at least they were listening to the pod. Really happy for him. He is the next head coach of Toronto FC.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
I think he's like, you, you know him better than I much better. I just that franchise needs stability. They've made a lot of bad decisions. They've made bad decisions with their GM in the past. The GM's made bad decisions with some of the hires who have gone there. John Herdman, obviously, with the Canadian drone scandal. And he just wasn't great there. So I hope this brings stability.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Um, never an easy transition from that, but let's move on. Um, Barca Madrid super cup on the weekend. Barcelona absolutely tore Madrid to shreds. I'm trying to figure out why Madrid aren't going to and consistently don't invest money in some defenders and strengthen that part of their roster. But Barcelona, I mean, watching Laminia Mall, is there a fee that they would even accept for this guy?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And Robin Frazier, this is the first opportunity that he's going to have financial backing, a club that's ambitious. Remember, he's been at teams that just didn't spend money, were not ambitious. So I'm really excited for him. I think he's going to do a great job.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Yeah. The key is the time now, right? Cause he's been out of it for a little bit.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
as a head coach so he needs time and hopefully clubs are learning that you these things don't turn around in six months or a year or 18 months you need time and hopefully he gets it yeah totally uh one other piece of note a piece of news chicho arango who was at salt lake i follow salt lake closely because my former coach nate miller is the assistant there and with pablo has done a phenomenal job turning that team into just a really fun attractive team to watch
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
goes from Salt Lake to the earthquakes where Bruce is. So Bruce got on the horn. They traded for $1.4 million in GAM, general allocation money, which we'll get into that another time about what that means, and an international roster spot. So I think the biggest thing for Salt Lake there is getting rid of his salary. It was time. just watching that team a lot, it was time for him to move.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
He had a tough stretch through the middle of the season. I think sometimes these things happen to him and it's good for everyone. Absolutely. Absolutely. San Jose is getting a striker who will now have a fresh look on things. There's good leadership there with Christian Espinosa, who's there. They have a good front four, by the way, Pellegrini, Lopez, Hernan Lopez.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
now Chicho Arango and Christian Espinosa. So that's a pretty nasty front line.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Yeah, it'll be good. All right, one more break. When we come back, we will dive into questions. Lots of questions again this week in the new AT&T Fan Connection and talk about anything but soccer here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
I mean, you could say he's worth a billion dollars. He's 17, right? So like, I think he's 17. You could... Any Premier League club could justify, you're going to have this guy for the next decade. And he just keeps doing it. And he's won a Euros now. He's 17. It's insane.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
What's up, JR? How are you?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
All right. What do you got for us, JR? Talk to us. What do you got?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
All right, JB. Take it away, Landon. Well, we don't know how old your son is. This is very simple for me, and I'm going to dumb it down for people, and it's never what anyone wants to hear. The easiest way to continue loving soccer and getting better at soccer is by having fun and playing. And I'm going to break that down because you're like, what an idiot. Who says that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
I now have kids who play soccer. And a lot of times they have three or four or five organized practices in a week. And it's great. They get to play a lot. But I watch my kids learn the most about soccer when we go in the backyard and we play or when they watch a game on TV. And they just love to do that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
So JB, my advice to you is one, make sure you're backing off a little bit, letting your son or daughter or whoever play, love it, have fun, have the ball around them all the time. You can learn a lot of other things later. You never get these years back where you're just touching the ball constantly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
But if they're not having fun at some point, JB, they're going to look at you and say, you know what? I don't like this anymore. I want to do it. And then maybe your dream is crushed, JB, and maybe their dream is crushed. So you need to make sure they're always loving it, enjoying it. And your job as a parent is to foster that, but not be overbearing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Because I see it all the time now with the parents who are overbearing and eventually the kids fall out of love with the sport.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Well, not that level.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
That's a great question, Katie. Okay, so I'll start to tackle this delicately because I want to be really clear on this. My opinion is that the most qualified person, based on whoever's making that decision, is the person they should try to hire, no matter what they look like, where they come from, et cetera.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
That being said, having been in the women's game now, there for decades and decades have been a massive lack of opportunity for women to get better as coaches, GMs, technical directors on the business side, et cetera. So it's not as simple as just saying, well, just hire the most qualified person. Okay, we'll get Pep Guardiola.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Well, Pep's had a lot of opportunity that a lot of women haven't had, right? So in the end, whoever's making that decision needs to make the best decision for their team. I there are many men who coach in women's soccer who are great. There are many women who coach in women's soccer who are way better than than the men are who are coaching. And I've seen it up close and personal.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
So I think the key here is more opportunities to learn and grow. And now there's better licensing. And I see when I went through my licensing, more women in the licensing industry. Courses than I ever saw before. So more opportunities there and then given chances to either succeed or fail the way men are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And that's, that's the only, I think that's the only way you can do it, but you can't blame people for making a decision that, that they think is best for them. The San Diego waves, a great example. They just hired a male coach who, who failed at Arsenal. So they brought him in and hired him. Now, a lot of the fans were probably like, well, why aren't we hiring a female? well. Okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
But that's their decision. Right. And there's, by the way, there's a woman who's running that ownership group. Right. So she made that decision. That's her prerogative. But I think we need more opportunities is, is, and that's not just women. That's any type of minority or anybody who's not, you know, what we're accustomed to seeing on a sideline. Right. In, in, in professional soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
So I'm happy to see that. Another good rivalry on the weekend. Let's move to the FA Cup. Arsenal United. So... I sent you guys a text in our group chat, and I said, you know, is our arsenal, what's going on with them? And then I had to kind of check myself, Tim, because they're still in second place in the Premier League.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And you need to set people up for success, right? You don't just hire someone because... They played a few years in the league and now you want to make them a GM. Like you just said, okay, start as an assistant GM and learn and grow so that when they become a GM, now there's a lot of women in,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
women's game in nwsl in either coaching roles or gm roles who had no experience before so if you're going to do that fine but then you got to stick with them two years three years four years let them learn and grow and get make mistakes etc or start as an assistant let them learn and then give them an opportunity that way they're they're set up for success
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Thank you, JR. Appreciate you. All right, ABS. This week, Timmy, I had a conversation with one of my golf buddies the other day after we played on Friday. And we were sitting down. We were talking about NIL. And for people who don't know, NIL is name, image, and likeness, which has come into play. collegiate sports, mostly basketball and football.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And players now are given money by the universities or by wealthy donors to play for their universities. And we were talking about this quarterback, Carson Beck, who was at Georgia. They got knocked out of the college football playoffs. He's, you know, a prospective high draft pick at some point when he comes out and decides to go to the NFL.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And he said, it's looking like he's going to transfer to Miami. And I said, my first reaction was, why the hell would the starting quarterback at Georgia transfer to another school, to Miami? And he's like, well, he's going to get paid. I said, oh, of course he's going to transfer. So like all these guys now, you spend a year, one year, and you make a million dollars.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Why not transfer the next year? And why not transfer the next year? And why not transfer the next year? You're making millions. And what he said to me, this is why I want to get to. He said, well, you know, he'll go there and he'll make a million dollars. And I said, no, no, no.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
They lost to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup in the first leg, and then they lose against, let's just call it an average United team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
From what I've heard, and I've got someone who's dialed into the college football game, is he's going to make three or four million dollars. And he said, get out of here. There's no way he's making three or four million dollars. I said, dude, he's making $3 or $4 million. So this report came out. Fox affiliate in Miami reported that it was a one-year deal for $4 million.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Now, The Athletic came out and said it might be closer to $3 million. Nobody's confirming or denying. But just to give people context, and then I want to dive into this. The starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans this year, a guy named Will Levis, who was a second-round pick, made $950,000 last year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
This, this season, Tennessee Titans starting court in the NFL, Carson Beck's going to go make three to $4 million in college. Go before I rant. Go.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
After being up a man for, what, 60, I mean, a long time. A long time. Right, a long time. And they couldn't find a way to win the game and then end up losing in penalties. So is there something going on there? Is this an anomaly? I know the XG said they should have won the game by four goals. Sure, sure. What's going on there?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
So, and here, here, here's the problem. Okay. So we agree. Of course the landscape has changed. The problem is whenever something new comes into effect, people are going to find ways to take advantage or cheat or move them. And right now, it is the absolute wild, wild west because there are no parameters, no boundaries. So in the NFL, you have a salary cap. Yeah. Right? So there are limits. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
If Miami said, we're going to pay him $600 million because we have it, they can do it. Totally. It's like, who cares? Go do it then.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Right? And this cannot be good for collegiate sports. But like you said, college sports is over. It's over. I'm not necessarily, by the way, I'm not necessarily against these guys getting paid because… you know, CBS and ESPN and Fox and everyone is making billions of dollars selling the rights or purchasing the rights and then selling ads to these games. Get it?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And for those at colleges, I spoke to a woman at USC one time about this issue and she said, well, they're getting a scholarship. I said, okay, a scholarship's worth 50, 60, 70 grand. I get it. You're turning around and making millions, if not tens of million dollars on the back of this kid. So like,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
I get it and I get that they're subsidizing for some of the other sports, but the biggest, the biggest shame in all this, Tim, is somewhere down the line, all the other sports are going to get affected.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Women's sports are going to get affected. Sports, maybe even like soccer, but like, you know, the water polos and the track and field, they're going to get impacted somehow because there's only so much money to spend and they're going to spend it where the market tells them they should spend it, which is on football and basketball. And so I don't know what's going to happen long term.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
There's got to be a tipping point at some point where people say this is not sustainable.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
I know the last thing here, what I can think of is, you know, when you watch NFL games and at the beginning of the game, as they're like introduced, you know, here come the, the Buccaneers defense and the guy comes out and he says, you know, Levante David, wherever he's from Ohio state in the future, it's going to be like Carson Beck, Utah Valley state, BYU, Georgia, Alabama, Miami, and Texas.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
You know, it's just going to be like, it's going to be such a joke. Cause they're going to be going to five or six schools. So All right, thank you to AT&T for our new fan connection. We will be back with this every week. We love it. Thanks to JR. Anything but soccer was great, and we will be back again with that too. We appreciate all of you for being with us today.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Remember to subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your pods, and follow the show across all social media platforms at Unfiltered Soccer for bonus content.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
See you next Tuesday, guys.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
No, out of the FA Cup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
No, they don't. And along with relying on sock-on-set pieces, they've moved to, like, gritty, defensive, and… I don't like watching it as much. I'm trying to figure out if it's going to be as effective. Right? And at some point, you know Mikel Arteta much better than I do. I love him as a human.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
At some point, and we've been around coaches who there's a lot of like, I don't want to say just rah-rah because he obviously has more about him than that. But I was watching them during the penalty shootout and it was just, he was so animated and so part of it. And I was watching some of the faces and I was like,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
I don't know if they're starting to like, it's starting to sound a little old to them. You know, it just kind of felt that way. And so I wonder if there's a bit of that going on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
You watch on TV, you talk to people, but what's happened in our town is we're just flooded with people from LA. So you see the devastation on TV and then you forget people actually have to go somewhere. They have nowhere to live, right? And so we're used to seeing wildfires in Southern California. But generally, Tim, it's a lot in canyons and big open areas.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Yeah. Just for people who don't fully understand the FA Cup and what we love about the FA Cup. So it's a separate tournament from the Premier League. where every league and non-league team, right? It starts in the very early rounds with teams in the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth tier of English soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And they play a knockout tournament until they eventually get to the round where we're at now, which is the third round of the FA Cup proper. And at this point, this is where the Premier League teams come in. So you get these incredible matchups where you'll have a team that literally has guys on the field that are plumbers and dentists and playing against Premier League teams.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
And it's really cool. For other sports, it'd be like a AAA baseball team playing a knockout. or a single-egg baseball team playing a knockout game against the Yankees and maybe upsetting the Yankees somehow, some way. And you get a few of those every year, and so it makes it really, really fun. There was a few really interesting matchups. Tamworth, who were, I think they're non-league?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Yeah, Tamworth's non-league.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Non-league played a home match against Tottenham.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
played them to a draw over 90 minutes and had a chance right at the end to win the game, which would have been insane scenes had they scored. In the end, Tottenham won 3-0. They scored three goals in overtime as Tamworth just kind of fell apart a little bit, but it's the beauty of the FA Cup and You've, you played in a lot of those games. I played in a couple when I was at Everton.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
It's really fun, man. Like, can you just explain to people what it's like?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
They have to work- Yeah, they're not even, they're not pros.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
You are not used to seeing big structures just decimated. It's crazy to see. It's been pretty crazy. There are people we know as friends, whatever. There are famous people all over that people know. Carlos Valle, Ali Riley, two MLS and WSL people had their homes burned down. It's pretty crazy. And I think what people forget in times like this is that For a week or two, it's on everyone's mind.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Who?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Yeah, it is sad to see the replays done away for people just to give context. So if you drew the game, if you tied the game, then you would play at the other team's home ground. And then if it was tied, then you would go to penalties, I guess, or extra time penalties. But they had to do away with that. It's just too many games. But that was the magic of it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
But it was so fun to just sit on ESPN Plus all weekend and watch. The cool thing about this round is is that it's early enough for Premier League teams where they say, we're not necessarily going to start all our players, all our real players. We'll have them on the bench. Tottenham had Son and Kulishevsky on the bench.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
But it gives you a chance if you're a lower division team because you're not playing the top, top stars who are in great form and fit and all that. So as you get later in the fourth, fifth, sixth round or quarterfinals, all that, you get the real squads. But at this point, the teams are like, you know what?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
We'd rather lose in this round if we're Manchester United or if we're Tottenham than lose four rounds later and still not make the final and have all those extra games, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
You mean as the higher, as the better team? Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Not having it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Arango and Ferreira on the Move, Moyes Returns to Everton, and Arsenal Out of FA Cup
Well, speaking of Everton, so a lot going on this week. So Everton played Peterborough at home. And the big takeaway from that game was 39-year-old Ashley Young. was hoping to play against his 18-year-old son, Tyler, who happens to play for Peterborough. At the end of the match, Darren Ferguson, the Peterborough manager, kept Tyler on the bench even though they were losing 2-0.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah. Yeah. And I, I don't look, I think, I think Arsenal were very, very good. PS, PSG did the business and, you know, certainly Mikel feels Mikel Arteta feels that way about his team. I've got no, I got no beef with that. They were very good, but ultimately, you know, PSG did advance and, It did the business.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Interestingly enough, I want to bring something to your attention, which I know you've heard. David Beckham and Friends, which is a show surrounding that. He was asked a question about whether Declan Rice should be Arsenal's captain or not. Because obviously Martin Odegaard is the club captain. But that then brought him to...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
talk about when he went to LA and kind of the interesting juxtaposition of when he got there and you were captain and he regrets taking the captain's armband from you, which I just thought was, I mean, that dynamic is so interesting, but the fact that, you know, he was talking about the situation and the regret. And obviously you were, you were at the forefront of that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I thought was very interesting. How did you feel?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I've buried some crap way down deep. I was like, I don't really want to bring this. It's arduous to have to relive some of that stuff.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
In the moment, how did you feel? I was not happy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I think that's classic on your part because I, you know, it's interesting when you talk about how, how alphas react, right. And that's your club and he's a big name and it's going to help you, but ultimately it's, it's still your club and you, how you feel a certain way. And I, like the way you handled it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
And obviously after the fact, he's able to come out and say that is brilliant, but it's, it's the captaincy is always an interesting thing. And not everybody who should be a captain is so.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah, I mean, I care for the fact that they're both Premier League clubs and important Premier League clubs. You know, you talk about Big Six, certainly not this year, the Big 16th and Big 17th, but not Big Six. But also kind of the soap opera and drama behind it all, right? Like you look at Tottenham, right, in 17th place. They could very well win. They're a better team than Manchester United.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I think United will win on the day. Agreed. But they're a better team, better squad than Manchester United. They could win. And Ange Voskoglu could lose his job. Very possible. So there's a lot on the line. If he loses, he loses his job. Straight off. Right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Manchester United are interesting because I think it's good that they have, as they build, and we know they're building under Ruben Almarim, this... In 18 months, this team won't even look the same. I mean, the player, there's so many players will be out the door, new players, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
But as you build and you've been a part of this, it's important that you have these like mile markers that like, we're not great, but boy, it was good to win that and that feeling of winning. And so Ruben Amor is downplaying it a bit. And I don't, I like Ruben Amor and I like the way he speaks. He's kind of like, yeah, we can win this, but boy, we have a long way to go.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I'm excited to read. I mean, I was a small part of that journey and I know you're, you know, from beginning to end of your career is incredible. So I'm looking forward to getting a signed copy, which I know you'll give me. So that's awesome. That's exciting.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Whereas Ange Postakoglu on the other hand is like, he knows his job is under threat and he's banging that And drum saying like, I'm the guy we're in this, we're in this final and not a lot of other people are. So give us credit. So it's, there's interesting drama there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Happy for him. And I think it's important for, you know, you read some of that, like 750 days between starts, two Achilles, right? Like what happens in these moments? Is your, your entire work.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
And I know we can talk about mental health and we can talk about why, why your work shouldn't be just in playing when you're an athlete, your entire worth is, can I lace my boots up, get on the grass and contribute. And when you're out for like, Almost two years and you have these debilitating injuries. You spend most of your days thinking, I'm not good enough. I'm never going to get back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Am I ever going to be able to compete? I know how good I was. Those thoughts haunt you. So the fact that he got back on the grass, banged a goal, that is incredible. Incredible. So hats off to him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I was not. If it was the Metro Stars, I would. You know what? My thought is... So this LA Galaxy team is winless in 12 games. It's an MLS record, an unwanted MLS record. And I think back to a couple of heavy defeats I took, a couple 5-0s and one 6-0. And I remember coming away from that game as a team, but certainly as a goalkeeper in defense, thinking like, we, we stink.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Like we should, we should stop playing soccer. Like that's how heavy those defeats are. You're like, I don't know if I can, I don't know if I can go play the next game. Like that's how bad I think I am. And so a lot of times those, those, those results are like an anomaly, right? Like they kind of happen on like a regular run. This team's on a horrific run.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
And then that happens. And I, so I worry for the team a little bit in terms of like them. It's not like they can pull from like, Oh God, don't worry guys. We, we, we've, we performed really well. That was just a one-off. this has like been a trend. I'm curious.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I mean, I know it's, I know you're so close to this thing with the galaxy, given your history, like what, give me a raw thoughts on this overall.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Keeping it grimy in Brooklyn. I love that. Will, welcome. It's awesome to have you on. I echo everything that Landon said. Your path to the top has been incredible. It's kind of the way it should be. And we're excited to pick your brain and hear so many of the anecdotes that helped you get there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Um, well, just a quick one. If I take you back to your start, like I, I'm 46 years old and you know, I know what generation I'm a part of. And so I often talk about the kids and everybody wants a shortcut and anybody who's successful would tell you there, there's no shortcut. It's boring, boring getting to the top. And, um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I think about that climb, you at Williams College, and saying, like, I'm willing to go to the bottom basement level to work my way up. And you and I share a mutual really good friend, Ben Tulebitz at the Yankees. And I'm just curious on how relationships kind of are important to you and impact the roles. I mean, I talked about starting at the bottom.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
You're now at the top and you've been at the top in a couple of different organizations. How important are relationships to you, both upward and downward within those organizations?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
We have some interesting comments on this episode about roster depth, which we'll get to later. Look, I think it's the narrative that I've been shouting for forever, and I'll continue because I believe it wholeheartedly. There's more than one way to win a football game. You've heard me say this. So this concept of, oh, it's ugly, doesn't matter. Winning is not ugly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah. Well, let me ask you this because you are, I mean, that insight is incredible. And our listeners are going to be like just drooling because we are as well. There's so much that on the outside people don't understand. Now, my next question, though, I want to paint a picture for you. So I've been in MLS since 1998. I'm slightly older than Landon. He then came slightly after me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Winning is not winning is great. So if Minnesota wants to do it in a certain way, have at it. Do exactly what you want to do. And they're getting the results. I mean, in terms of Miami, look, I think that I think the worry is you and I have talked about this since the beginning of the preseason this year. Like it's it's MLS Cup or bust for Miami. Right. Like that's success.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
But we've seen it. I was part of the group that said, to hell with this. We're going to take you to court because single entity is not fair. And then the court says, shut up and go play soccer. And it is fair, right? And so we know that in order, and Landon's talked about this a lot, from its inception, in order to keep the league together, there was very few owners.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
You had to kind of keep things by the book or else this league, MLS, would end up like all the other North American soccer leagues and just go bust. But... As you said, we now have owners who are willing to invest. This sport is alive and well and more prosperous than it's ever been. And I'm an owner in the league, and we know valuations are incredibly high. You use the word mechanisms.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Everybody does, and that's right. There's so many mechanisms to build a roster. What stops MLS as a whole from saying, here's a fixed budget. I'll make up a number, $10 million per squad or $20 million per squad. It doesn't matter what the number is. You have 20 million to build your squad. Have at it. Build it however you want. Spend 19 million on one player and then figure out the rest.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
But do it how you like. What is stopping MLS from allowing someone like you to say, forget mechanisms, forget age, forget vehicles of getting players into the team and into the league. You have a cap of 20 million. You can do whatever you want. If you stink and waste your 20 million, guess whose fault that is? Your own. What stops the league from doing that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah, I think, sorry, real quickly. And I think the big miss to your point, Will, is simply this. When the league started, There weren't enough, and this is no disrespect to the founding fathers, there weren't enough knowledgeable soccer people. We didn't have enough growth, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
They had they want to support us here last year. Absolutely. Nail that onto the onto the wall into the trophy case. That's a successful season. But as you know, you've won multiple MLS cups. That's what they're thriving and driving for. So if it doesn't happen, that's a big issue, particularly because, you know, we're seeing the best of Messi in the MLS.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
You're now talking about, and there's three of us on here, but even our broader listeners, within the MLS now, there are geniuses. There are geniuses on the pitch. There are geniuses in the front office who have connections worldwide. The name brand of MLS is global. We now have the ability to not worry that the league's going to fold because someone's going to mismanage a team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
That's gone out the window. And I still think there are some people who believe that that could happen. And I'm not one of them. This league is so healthy now.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Well, that's great news, and we wish him continued success in that recovery. And for the record, we don't speak about Ricky a lot. Landon speaks about Ricky a lot. I think he's a great player, but Landon is in love with him, and rightfully so.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
LD, my good man, I am super excited to be here. I got a beard trim yesterday, woke up at the crack of dawn two days in a row, covered a Premier League on NBC, which is amazing, and I get to come to you. I'm getting on a flight after this. And I'm heading to San Diego. Sunny San Diego.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
It is time now for everyone's favorite time of the week, the AT&T Fan Connection with everybody's favorite person, Jordan. How are you?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah, yes, you took a Liverpool shirt off.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
And if they don't get that, then it's a little bit of a. not a stain, but, but people will be underwhelmed. So, um, yeah, but, but I also, I also think they, you know, I'm still not counting them out. I still know on their day, they can figure some stuff out and single handedly messy and others can take over a game in the MLS. So I'm cautious when I talk about Miami.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
No, not him going. How do you feel about your fans, your people?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
How do you feel about Trent going?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
The voice of reason.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Agreed. What do you got for us?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Every once in a while.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Wow. What a day. What a day.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I think there's a cautionary tale here. What if Juergen Klinsmann was replaced two games prior? Right. At the beginning of the cycle. What if Greg Barholzer was replaced a year earlier? Like you have to bear these things in mind. Now, Greg's a little bit different because he took over with what, three years prior to the last world cup or two and a half years. I can't remember.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Cause I know that Dave Serekin was interim manager before that or something, but I think it was three years. Yeah. But, but yeah, you have to be careful of that because you know, what ends up happening with the national team is you don't lose. Like if you, If you're a club team and you stink, you only lose like half a season and your manager can rebuild.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
When you're a national team manager, you don't have a lot of games over the course of four years. So when you sack a manager after a short period of time into a cycle, you lose a lot of games. You lose a lot of opportunity to develop a team. And so the runway is really short. So I think the team would be in a better place preparation-wise,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
If another manager was given the opportunity to have longer with this team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I think we got worked because the next game is Argentina, right? I think that's right. I think the next game is Argentina. We were spent after that game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I mean, we just, the, the, the boys put in such a shift. I mean, we were, we were getting pulled from pillar to post that we couldn't get near the ball. And like the amount of running we did was incredible. I mean, so I, unlike Landon, I don't think I'd have a world cup trophy had we gotten past, but you might've made 17 saves. I mean, I played, I played against messy twice and he didn't score.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
So maybe, maybe who knows, but it's a great question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
It's great insight because the players who do it year in, year out.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I think the answer is maybe we would have won an FA Cup. Maybe. Right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
The attacking put us in the edge.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Speak on it, JR. Speak on it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Well, I think my take is what Landon mentioned, is what is the response? Because what you have to realize, when you're... Will Koontz or you're any GM and you're hopefully have enough distance, right? So you're in touch with the coaching staff and technical staff, but you have enough distance so you can kind of create clarity. You're looking at... We all look at results.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
As fans, we look at results. When you're on the inside, you have to look at what does it smell like? Are the players' shoulders hunched? Are they bright and lively? Are they still listening? Do they still listen? What's the feel? What's the pulse? And we don't have that. Landon might be closer to it, but we don't have that pulse. And so results aren't...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I think if he goes on international duty, I think minimum on return, minimum two weeks break.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
the be all end all when it comes to deciding whether someone gets sacked or not. It's certainly a narrative and it's certainly optics and sometimes optics went out, but I would suggest the best player from the championship team is out. Second or third best player went to Kansas City, right? That's not excuses. I mean, look, the LA Galaxy are the haves, not the have-nots.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
So, sure, they're held to a different standard. But I would pump the brakes a little bit on the Greg Vanney situation because I think he's a good manager and he just brought you a championship. And we have to take some of this into context now. All that being said, that's not an excuse to not win in 12 games. That's not an excuse. So there's an issue there, and it's just a matter of how big it is.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah. Maybe I, they're going to manage them. And that's, that's just a, you know, and I wouldn't be surprised. And I know, I know it's not, it's not amazing, but I wouldn't be surprised if they manage them even more coming out, coming out of the summer and just going, look, we know all our eggs are in what basket.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
So let's just try and be fit and, and cross our fingers that, that the magic can take over in the playoffs.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
It is. You know, I don't have a ton more to add to that other than, yeah, I have been on the field when a teammate has snapped their leg, you know, and it's hanging off and, and,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
uh it just you it's moments like those that you realize like that you get so excited and you get so invested in the game and that's what's asked of you and then those moments happen and literally soccer doesn't matter anymore um so it's a you know it's a savvy king obviously we send our love and our well wishes and um
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
hopefully the road to recovery and health is at the forefront and the rest of it, the soccer side, is completely secondary.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah, thanks, everybody. Thanks, Will, for coming on. You're a gentleman. So much incredible insight and knowledge. We certainly appreciate it, Landon and I, and we know our listeners will as well. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, BW, and our fan connection sponsor, AT&T, and our unfiltered refresh sponsor, Coors Light.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
The part you mentioned, and I don't think I'm speaking at a turn here, I think I'm interested to see how important the Club World Cup is to everybody. No, I do. Manchester City and Inter Miami and all the rest of the teams.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
As a player who played for 13 years abroad and was exhausted at the end of the season, I then went in with the national team probably a week later, sometimes two days later, and you could get up for those games. I'm not so sure from a club standpoint. that I'm super excited about it. Now, that's just me, but I also know that's how players think. So we'll see.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I'll reserve judgment, but we'll see how seriously these teams take it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah, look, he's off to a great start, LD. You know how I feel about strikers. get the goals, get the goals when you can make some noise and make the manager look, have a, have a look at you. He's done that. I think he's in the shop window. Um, I I'd like to see him get called in. It's not, it's not a, it's not a strong point of ours.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
That's what you say. And for people who don't know, with Unfiltered Soccer, we have lots of things we need to do. Content shoots, all the rest of it. And Landon oftentimes obliges and comes to New York City. So this time he gets his way and we're going to San Diego. So I can't wait to see you, bud.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
We talk about that all the time in terms of a, of a country, you know, we don't produce, we don't produce top strikers every now and again, one comes through. So, um, I think he should get a chance. If you're scoring, you should get a chance.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
The crazy thing about strikers is you get one game or two games, which is not a lot. There's not a lot of games left before the World Cup. You bang one or two goals, and you're asking to get put on again. And so as long as he does the business for Vancouver, there's nothing holding him back from getting a call-up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
And look, that's on City. I mean, obviously that was our feature match on the weekend, on one of the days, whenever, Saturday. And, you know, it's interesting, LD, because what you see at the end of the season, and we saw this a little bit with Leicester as well, you're so fearful of going down, and then it becomes official. And these players are almost like, we see it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
They're actually playing like more free.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah, you're almost relieved, which is a, it's a crazy sort of, You know, human nature behavior, but you see it. They're more relaxed and more free. The other part and Southampton SAC, their second manager of the season. So they're on another interim manager. But that's been my point. And we've talked about this in depth, right? Like these teams come up and you mentioned it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Everyone wants to play like Pep and Man City. They don't have the quality of players. So their center backs are some guy you've never heard of, not John Stones and Ruben Diaz, right? And so you're like, let's play expansive football. We give the ball away, we get punished. Southampton parked the bus and they got a result.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
And I'm saying all they've, they spent the entire year playing a certain way, playing expansive, wanting to play between the lines and they got cooked every weekend. So I'm saying, well, why don't you earn the right to play in the Premier League, incrementally grab some points and then open it up a little bit when things start to go pretty okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Interesting result there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
he only the pictures tell a really interesting story because when you slow it down, he raises his arm and he looks at Sven Bachman. Now, what I would say is when I stand by, if you raise your arm, you're giving the referee a license to make a decision. And that decision might go against you. But what ends up happening in every single direct long ball, Up to a striker, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
There's a confrontation with the center back. So what ends up happening is a striker looks at the ball, looks at the defender, edges back. Some strikers bottle it and they go, I ain't going up with him, right? But if you do challenge, we're taught, LD, and you know this. Unfortunately, we don't teach our young kids to do this, but you're taught to...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Bring your arm up and then the defender is going to bring his arm up and you're just trying to gain leverage, right? And when you watch Sven Botman, he actually goes down and then he goes to lift off and Nicholas Jackson just mistimes it by a half a second. Because what he wanted to do was get his arm up and basically share airspace with Sven Botman.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
When Sven Botman goes up, he wants to go up with him and challenge for the ball. As it was, Sven Botman never got off the ground because he just mistimed it and his elbow ends up going to his chin. I don't believe for one second that Nicholas Jackson thought, I'm about to take his chin off. That wasn't his intent. So he just mistimed it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
And like I said, you give the referee license to send you off.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
I think, you know, I think for a football club who fancy themselves as being incredibly classy, it was a very classless act.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Like, this concept that he owes them anything. Liverpool fans are joking themselves. Two Premier League titles, a Champions League, and countless other cups. He's brought to that football club. He doesn't owe them anything. And I know the comments are going to come in, so I'll get ahead of it. So they're going to say, we get nothing for him. This is a player worth 60 million pounds.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
We get nothing for him because he's going to leave on a free. Here's how this works. If you have a decent player, any type of player, and they don't have to be decent, by the way, it's good business that with 18 months running on their current contract, you renegotiate. Okay?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
If you can't come to an agreement, usually what, landed 12 months prior, then you just say, I'm going to play this thing out.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Yeah. The issue is, it's always, all these players are money hungry and you want to... I can assure every single Liverpool fan, any football fan, because I've been in dressing rooms where players let their contracts run down. The player doesn't come in every day and go, guess what, guys? I'm going to hold this club hostage and they're going to get nothing for me. That's not how it works.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
Either you disagree on the terms of the deal or the money or the length. Someone doesn't agree. And sometimes it doesn't work. And then when you get to 12 months... You just, that's it. You didn't do your job from 18 months to 12 months as a club and as a player to get the deal done. Now that's it. But to think that he owes them nothing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
They're going to lift a trophy. And that trophy goes from the captain Virgil van Dijk to every player. He's going to lift the Premier League trophy. The one that takes Liverpool above Manchester United in the trophy count. He's going to lift it up to the cop and they're going to boo him. I'll tell you what, Liverpool fans.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
We've always had a love affair, but do one. I mean, that's a joke.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy GM Will Kuntz Talks the Financial Side of Soccer
That's a joke.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I'm not, you know, I tend to think like you. The U.S. should take care of business and it shouldn't be that big of a deal. I think the bigger question is the roster and the audit of the roster and how we feel about it. Of course, Pochettino is looking at new faces. Do you have any concerns in any particular areas with this roster?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Yeah. I mean, I echo some of those thoughts. The fact of the matter is one of my biggest gripes going into the 2022 World Cup was I just don't see our best players in the lead up and the lead up can be a year. We didn't get our best players on the field consistently enough together. So then at the World Cup, they were together, but they hadn't been in the trenches.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
They hadn't been through the difficult moments together. That's where you build trust. That's where you build team camaraderie. That's where you build this ability to get through big moments. And so we go back a few weeks to Mexico and Christian Pulisic, the captain, left to go home. That's fine. That's fine. People have an opinion on it. But going down to Mexico...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
with your full squad in a game that's going to be tough, away from home, and nasty, builds character. You can lean on that in two years' time. And every time you miss an opportunity like that, it's tough.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Even if you hate it, send us your question. They might hate it. Which is okay, by the way. At least send us your comments, questions, concerns. You can email us at feedback at unfilteredsoccer.com. And we're going to jump right into this episode with MLS. The playoffs are heating up. There's been some incredible results, some great series. LAFC beat Vancouver. NYCFC upset Cincinnati.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I mean, what you don't... Right. What you don't get, and I worry about the not having to qualify. You and I have been on that bus down that long, desolate road heading to San Pedro Sula in Honduras, and it's two hours before kickoff, and there's people, streams of people walking down a country road, and you pull into the stadium, and it is packed. People are dancing, music. I mean, there is...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
there's not a seat to be had. And you're like, Oh, Oh, we're in something right now. And you don't get that when you don't have qualifying simply put. So yeah, look, I worry about the makeup of the team. I, again, a lot of our goalkeepers currently aren't getting, aren't getting top minutes. Um, I think a couple of them are getting overlooked.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Defensively, under Greg Berhalter, these defenders were asked to play expansive and probably, to me, it seemed like square pegs and round holes. Is there enough to have a solid back four that don't go too far, that defend? Yeah, maybe. The midfield for me is where, as you mentioned, our best players are, simply put. And if we can get a collection of them together, you know, you look at
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Gio Reyna, you look at Moussa.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Tyler's back, yeah, which is great that Tyler is back fit. Can he stay fit? Like that's going to be where games are won and lost for us. And then up front, big question mark. We haven't had a number nine in a long time. You know, a reliable number nine like a Jose Altidore that's going to get you goals on a regular basis.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
And don't forget, the last generation had Jose Altidore who was the goal getter, but they also had... You and Clint Dempsey, who are U.S. soccer's leading goal scorers, right? So when the number nine couldn't carry the weight, you guys jumped in. So we don't necessarily have that with this team. It's going to have to happen fast.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
it does matter and by the way if we don't skate through this not saying the games are hard then we've we've got a whole lot more to dig into on on the next few episodes of this podcast because uh there's a problem if we don't simply put all right we'll take a break when we come back some premier league uh we'll get into some other stuff some mailbag questions from you guys and some uh anything but soccer one of our favorite segments we'll be right back
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Okay, LD, let's get into some Premier League action. Man City fans don't hate me or do. I've dealt with it before. But what is... City lost 2-1 to Brighton on the weekend, making it the fourth straight loss for Manchester City all competitions. What's going on there? Talk to me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I was surprised at that one. Orlando City just advanced past Charlotte. But the one everyone's talking about, LD, the one everyone's talking about is the one with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami going down in three games to Atlanta United. Wow.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I mean, they really believed it. Well, you could see it as well. I mean, this is what happens when you're at the top and you set a standard. City is the best team in the world, and for all the obvious reasons. And the fact of the matter is, you end up losing four in a row, and it's like a boxer, right? A boxer's never been knocked out before.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
As soon as he gets knocked out, that chin is a little bit wobbly, right? And fighters don't fear you as much. That's what's happening with City at the moment. Teams feel like they have a chance. And look, the stats are telling you they're conceding early goals. That's never been the case before. Normally they score a goal and then they go on and score three or four.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
teams think, hey, if we stick at this long enough, if we stay in the game, City are going to concede because the stats are telling us they've been conceding at a rate that hasn't really happened under Pep Guardiola. What I would say is, am I concerned? A little bit if I'm City, but here's the other thing. I have nothing to back that up with.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Every time under Pep Guardiola there's been a problem, they've bounced back. They've figured out some way to hit some form, win 10, 12, 20 games in a row, and go on a run. So my expectation is while there's cause for concern, do I think City will go on a run that matches something they've done in the past? Yes, I do. I do think that. Which then, for me, puts the onus on Liverpool.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I think City are going to make a run. That much I know. The question now is, with Liverpool being at the top of the table, playing brilliant under the new manager, are on a slot, can they handle the onslaught and the pressure of being on top? That's the question for me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
And by the way, Pep knows, Pep knows that too, right? Like he can kind of play with a false nine of Holland's out there, even though Holland's the best trick in the world. Kevin De Bruyne, people can fill his boots, even though he's brilliant. Pep knows. there ain't nobody filling Roger's boots.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I think it's the heartbeat. I think it's their ability to drop into the back four, protect the back four, be good on set pieces, create tempo, be unselfish in terms of like, hey, I'm going to break things up, give you the ball, you go forward. I mean, it happened on our teams, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Sixes, Michael Bradley, particularly in our era, he would break things up, facilitate, give the ball to you, give the ball to Clint, and watch it go. And then there's a leadership element to it that when I look at a Rodri, Rodri's basically Pep Guardiola incarnated on the pitch, right? And not everybody can do that or be that. So interesting.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Isn't he? That's big praise for Dax McCarty.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I wasn't expecting you to go there. We talked about city struggles and how Liverpool are essentially the beneficiaries of that. Although they're... They're playing really, really well. And yes, City are stumbling, but they're playing fantastic. Probably ahead of schedule from everybody. I don't think anybody could have seen this coming.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I know Klopp left a really solid squad, which is why people were like, well, Klopp, why are you leaving? But the fact of the matter is Slott has come in and done brilliantly for them. He's changed the tune. He's gone away from that heavy metal football pressing, counter-pressing to kind of sitting back a little bit, creating tempo in the right moments. And the team has responded brilliantly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
with unbelievable performances individually and collectively. So yeah, hats off to them.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Look, let's dig into this a little bit. What I saw in the video was his eyes were telling a different story than his mouth was. So that's a starting point, right? And I can't make any accusations of what was ingested before that. But I don't have this like massive problem with what he's saying. Hear me out. I abused referees. I said things I should have never said.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Most of the time I was very apologetic afterward, or I went home, looked myself in the mirror and thought, Tim, you shouldn't have said that, right? But the fact of the matter is that referee also went home because he's human. And I would be shocked if he didn't go, oh, that Tim Howard, what a lovely guy. He probably said, you know what? He's a beep, beep, beep, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Like he has an opinion and he's a human being and he's supposed to be neutral. Of course he is. But the fact of the matter is, if you abuse somebody, don't expect them to have something nice to say about you. And that's what happened in the case with David Kooten and Jurgen Klopp. And so the big mistake he made was not having an opinion on how he felt about somebody because he's human.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
The problem is... He allowed himself to be video recorded. And look, let me speak on this. I've had teammates get in big, big trouble because their mates or somebody from home had a recording of them and they wanted to sensationalize it. And you know this because you and I played at Everton together. Football players in England and around the world are godlike figures.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Even your schoolmates, even your family want a piece of the pie. So what happens is, is it like malicious and blackmail? No, but what this guy did, I guarantee it was like, hey, my mate, he's a Premier League ref, you'll never guess what he said about Liverpool. Boom, he sends it to somebody else.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Then it spiderwebs, and then the game of telephone happens, and someone ends up with the tape they shouldn't end up with. And it's a sad state of affairs, man. I... Again, I don't have a problem with what he said simply because that's his opinion of a situation he's been in that wasn't really nice, an interaction with a manager that wasn't really nice. You got to be careful.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Once you say it and it's out of the bag, the PGMOL is going to have to suspend him. They're going to fine him. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I'm like, get out of here, dude. It's hard.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Yeah, that's kind of why you just have to walk the line, even though he has an opinion. Moral of the story? Just don't let people videotape you. It never ends well in any walk of life.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Speaking of more controversy, Manchester United, who are under the tutelage at the moment of Ruud van Esterooy before Ameren comes in from Sporting Lisbon to take over this week, actually, they beat Leicester pretty handily, 3-0. Alejandro Granaccio, a player who I really like, young player, starlet on the wing, scored an incredible goal, an incredible goal, but refused to celebrate.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
It was at Old Trafford. He's been taking some stick. The team's been taking some stick. My issue with it is this. Going back to not videotaping yourself, his brother, by the way, he's got a lot to say on social media as well. Like sort your family out, tell them to come to the games and clap and then go home. Nevermind being on social media. And here's the other thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I know he's a young kid and I don't think Manchester United have a lot of leadership because if you do, you can kind of grab him and say, look, this is how it works. The team's stunk. They got your manager fired. Like the fans have a right to boo and to be upset. And like this whole concept of you're not going to celebrate, like that's only on, and he's a young player.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Anybody who's been pawed on the back by Brad Gazzan knows that's not a nice feeling. It's going to leave a mark. But listen, that series had everything. It's always fun, I guess, if you're neutral, to watch the underdog win. It's such an interesting concept when you look at Messi and what they've done.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
It's only going to heat more pressure on the kid. Cause the fact of the matter is, you know, this, I've only scored one goal for those listening.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
You were there. I was there. You celebrated with me, but you, you scored a lot of goals and like, that's actually a time to kind of let out your anger and your frustration and your emotion. Like there's no need to keep it in. Cause it's going to backfire.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I don't mind that, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
That's the problem. There hasn't been culture since Sir Alex Ferguson left. It's been 11 years. So a big job for Ruben Amaran, but I think you can get it done. I like him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
The football gods are real.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Jordan, one of our producers is our mailbag expert. She takes all of your questions and feeds them to us. So hard hitting ones, please.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Tim Howard.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Listen, the answer is simple. You and Clint, I can't pick one. Between you, there's goals, there's hunger. One of the two, for sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Supporters shield, chasing the points total, all-time points total, them winning without Messi at times during the season. I mean, it's been one heck of a sideshow, but unfortunately... They lost.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Give me your opinion.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
How is that possible? You bring up a good point. Let me counter that by saying… Wait, can you just answer how is that possible? I'm going to answer it in the form of a question. How is it then that… Your first touch sometimes got away from you and then you get yourself into a tackle.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I honestly, I can't, I can't speak to that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I didn't either. You had a bad goalkeeper. That's it. I don't know what else to say. I would be a better outfield player than my goalkeeper.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I saw it at Loyal. I'm just, I know you. Answer the question directly. You'd be a better goalkeeper than me than I would be an outfield player?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Fair enough. So I win. Keep going.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Yeah, in my opinion, your director of sports science is one of the most important people at the club because we know that when you miss game time, you drop points. The more games missed by your best players, it correlates to a lack of points. So keeping players fit and healthy, sports science and being innovative in that field, that deserves more credit.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Yeah, and to answer that even further, what Brighton are doing at the moment in terms of how they create their recruitment model, they've got their next three head coaches lined up. They know exactly where they're going to find their next players. So it used to be just you have to find players and figure out the rest. They know who's going to come in from a scouting point.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
If Hertzler leaves, like Deserby left, like Potter left, they know exactly who's coming in. They're never going to be left hamstrung. So I think that's the new model.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Well, at Unfiltered Soccer, hit us on YouTube, any of your social channels. Like I said, hard-hitting questions are the best.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
100%. No. What do you mean no?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Why didn't they start him there? Okay. So... LeBron James, deservedly so, by the way, whether I agree with this or not, and I don't, wanted as part of his legacy to play with his son. That's amazing. You think of like Ken Griffey, Ken Griffey Jr. It doesn't happen very often, and it speaks tremendously to his longevity and also to the talent that Bronny James has.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
The fact of the matter is when you go into NBA circles, Bronny James is not a NBA rotational player. He simply isn't. That's not me making it up from New York City. That's right. So when you look at players of his caliber who have been drafted where he's been drafted, they're in a G League. They're not in an NBA rotation.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
He was in the NBA rotation at the start of the season to get that golden moment, which I believe LeBron deserves to have scripted.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Well, because I honestly don't think the number matters. It just happened to be in the first part of the season he was going to go. Like, I don't think it was going to be play the first game, sub in at the 23-minute mark, and then, okay, off you go. Like, it was never going to be one and done, but I think he's in the right place now.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
And by the way, LeBron James makes all the decisions at the Lakers. Don't kid yourself.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
No, I don't think that. I think the conversations happen at the board level and like, hey, we're going to do this. We're going to appease your wishes, but also understand that we're not going to use a roster spot on him for the full season. I think there was definitely those conversations. Nobody's surprised by this. He will have had to sign off on that 100%.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Yeah. I got, I'm with you. I got no issue. I mean, football in general, by the way, I'm a, I'm a big NFL fan. It's, it's a little bit overaggressive in, in, you know, you get coaches fighting with players. So every time a coach speaks, he's yelling. Like it's just, there's, there's a lot going on there. And, and kickers have always been outcasts and goalkeepers. Totally.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
We touched the ball way more than kickers do. Like kickers get like one moment, you know, and you have to be amazing. That's why the greatest kickers are so clutch and lights out. This happens all the time. Got no real issue with it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Him and what was the other guy? Sebastian Genachowski, the guy from Florida State.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Look, you'll never convince me otherwise. If there's a head injury and it's an apparent head injury, the referee has an obligation to stop the game. We all know that. The fact of the matter is, and you and I have been on... Both sides of this. You don't have to kick the ball out. If a player is injured, the rule states you do not have to kick the ball.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
It's at the discretion of the team in possession. By the way, keep playing. If you want to stop the game because you're so worried about your player being down, go hack somebody down. Go take a...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
foul take a yellow card whatever the case is but don't stop playing and then pretend you're going to argue that's not even that's not even in question so for me that's that's null and void Atlanta won this fair and square I thought it was great it had everything had spice I mean even so much so that you know Miami players after the game didn't want to shake hands for me that's brilliant I think it's great good for them
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Sportsmanship is important.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I tend to agree with that. Look, when I talk about sportsmanship aspect, I do like a little bit of shithousery. When you can get under the skin of another team, should they have shaken hands? Of course. Of course. I even hated myself when... I walked off the field sometimes because I was angry. It's good to shake hands and give people their flowers.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Listen, we know you all have comments and opinions on Messi. Send them to us at Unfiltered Soccer. We'd love to hear what you have to say. Some tasty matchups in the second round. There's going to be some single elimination games. You've got the Hudson River Derby, New York City FC Red Bull. You got LAFC versus the Sounders. You've got the Dirty South Derby, which you named it that. Dirty South.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Orlando City and Atlanta. And then LA Galaxy, Minnesota. So, I mean, these are going to be some spicy, tasty matchups. Really looking forward to them.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Bro, you know, this feels like a welcome to America moment. We love a playoff. We love an upset. Like, I get it. Most people aren't on the fence. They either love the single table or they love the playoffs. I kind of get it. I've played in both systems. You know, in America, we love a playoff. We love an underdog. And that's just kind of how things are scripted for us.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
So there's always next year for Jordi Alba and Inter Miami. But this is the format and this is how you got to do it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I would expect him to do the same thing. I mean, San Jose was the worst team in MLS in 2024. And again, he has autonomy from... having the role of GM. And what I would say is you look at people like Bruce arena, Bob Bradley's another name, um, Greg Berhalter. These are guys in the game who are going to going to have those titles.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
They're going to go into an interview and look at the club holistically and say, I have to have more than just being the coach because I have ideas. I have thoughts and they have the power to do it. So hats off to Bruce.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I agree with you. And look, we are in a new day and age. And it's not just about telling someone to not say it. It's about helping to educate them and they can better themselves. Bruce Arena has done that. He's been very apologetic. And ultimately, America is the land of second chances. We know that from top to bottom.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
And so I'm glad he's getting a second chance that he hasn't been completely ostracized because the league is going to be a better league with a coach like Bruce Arena in it. So happy to see him back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I think the good news is that somebody soon is going to get a very, very good coach. And look, the expectations side, and you'll never convince me otherwise, so don't try, even though you can send us your comments. Winning is everything to me. Like, if you have a guy who's a winner and you happen to have a down year, so be it. Forget all the outside vitriol and all the noise.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
Yeah, listen, this is going to be the hard-hitting podcast, we hope. And from our standpoint, there's nothing we haven't seen in this game, both here and abroad. So love the interaction that we have, trying to create that community with you all, the listeners.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
You've got to really, really... good to great in this league in the MLS head coach. You've had one bad season, certainly his resume and his history dictates that he gets another chance, right? And what he's done on a low budget at a club that sells young players, the fact that he's had that success
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
This is a segment we like to call USLNT on USMNT. It is international break.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
It's the best time. Best time of year. US will face Jamaica in the quarterfinals of CONCACAF Nations League. Big game for you. Talk to me. What do you think?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
I mean, listen, without being disrespectful, it should be a lap, right? In terms of a talent standpoint, the U.S. should take care of business. Hopefully, you know, I think the ideal situation would be take care of business in the first leg, right? And then be able to kind of chop and change a little bit for Pochettino to see some players. We'll see what happens.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi & Miami Out, Bruce Arena In, MLS Playoff Recap, USMNT vs Jamaica Preview
with each other but most importantly it's about it's about the listeners it's about being unfiltered too many people today I think LD dance around issues that's not something that you or I have really ever done so make sure you follow us on social media unfiltered soccer subscribe to the show on YouTube make sure you follow us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify if you like what we're doing which we're pretty sure you will
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
NWSL, as you rightfully mentioned, has to get away from that stigma of like, I don't like it here, so I'm off. Teams are starting to build and move away from that, but it can still get better.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
He had a few match winners, and then he went to Tottenham. It just didn't work and very quickly was sacked. And so we hadn't really seen, like, what is, who is Nuno Espirito Santo? Very stern, kind of stone-faced. We're starting to see a smile and an exuberance about him. And his team is fantastic. He sets them up well. They've got, I mean, front to back,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
They have real staying power in terms of staying in the top four because they've got a fantastic goalkeeper, Matt Sells. They've got the most clean sheets in the league. Real good partnership in the back with Murillo and Milankovic as the two center backs. And then what he does is it's kind of that like – Portuguese way of like, we're going to create this base at the back, be really solid.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
And then there's going to be like four or five players. You go win us the game. Like just go win us the game. I need a massive engine from you. Gibbs White is brilliant in the middle of the field, a Lang on one side, Hudson-Odoi on the other. And this is the key. He wants them to break, break quickly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
And the second they get their head up, put the ball in the box because if they put their ball in the box, Chris was getting on the end of it. He's having a fantastic career season. So yeah, Forrest has been really, really good this year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah. It's a Testament to, to what, what a proper striker is get, get between the posts. That's where the goals are scored and put the ball in. Yeah. It's been fantastic.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
kind of challenging Van Dyke from behind. And Van Dyke's trying to hold him off and wants Allison, the goalkeeper, to come. It's one of those really slow balls where the defender should just clear it. And it was massive coming together. The ball falls and Smallbone swivels on it, scores, and it's Bedlam, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
But it's kind of like we've seen this enough in the world of football where you're like, Okay, that's all Liverpool needed because now I can tell you how this is going to go. And they ran out 3-1 winners and it was, in the end, pretty comfortable.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
And I get the sense that there's going to be a few teams toward the back of the season that are going to have to give Liverpool a guard of honour because I do think they're going to win it. pretty comfortably at this point.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah, 15 points clear. This is 500 and draw what they need from the remaining nine games. And obviously that doesn't take into account any more drop points from the likes of Arsenal. So
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
That's my thing about Vegas LD. Like I like to play craps because I can play craps to like four in the morning. And I like games that like, if I went to play blackjack, my night's over in like 20 minutes. Cause I, I'm just getting housed. So yeah, I, I'm not a gambler either. Um, on a slightly serious note, LD, I wanted to, um, say hello to our friend and a friend of the show, Tony Miola.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Um, it seems to be a formality and, uh, and, and just for people listening, what in England, what a guard of honor is, um, if you win it on the last day and the last kick of the ball, you don't like get a guard of honor.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
But, you know, when I was at, uh, Manchester United, Chelsea, it was the Mourinho teams and Chelsea had won a league and they won it comfortably, which meant if they're met, if, if a team mathematically has already clinched the title, um, than any subsequent games that they play. Let's say they have three games left.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Every time the teams walk out of the tunnel in the procession, um, the respectful thing to do is for, is for the opponent to form a guard of honor so that the, uh, team walks through. Yeah. It's just very, it's a very English thing. Um, a little bit demoralizing, you know, I'm going to go look at the fixture list and see who they're playing. Who has to do that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Crazy. That's cool.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
No, and they got played off the park against PSG. But for Allison, the goalkeeper who, again, world-class, kept them really, not even in the game, but in this tie, you go back to Anfield at 1-0. This is the crazy thing about Champions League and how you feel. They will have walked away from that game going, Oh, that's good. Really good result. Now we get him back at our place.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
And Anfield under the lights is formidable. It's special. What I always say about Anfield is... And the cop, they recognize moments. And you and I have been a part of that rivalry. Because they've had so many big moments, big European moments, they recognize them. Like Anfield against PSG is going to be like, PSG is not going to want to walk out of that tunnel.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
It's going to be so daunting because they understand it's not like, oh, it's just another knockout. Yeah, we won this trophy before. No. They know that on that night, they can create an atmosphere that will live forever. throughout the test throughout time. So, um, yeah, it's a special, it's a special place and fill in the lights. And I think I have a feeling, um, Liverpool turn this result over.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
It just didn't. The crazy thing is, Landon, like, ever since I, you know, Premier League's gone through phases, and it was always about Manchester United, Liverpool, and then Arsenal under Wenger came through really heavy, and that Arsenal...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
arsenal man united rivalry became everything right you know late 90s early 2000s i i was actually a part of um some of those games the some of those big games and it was it was the premier fixture and like we did the build-up to the game this weekend it was just like united stink don't know how they're gonna play arsenal are very good but they're at the time, 16 points back of the title.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Very, I spoke to him this morning, very recently. Um, he had a, he had a massive heart attack and it was, uh, scary for all involved. And I know, um, you know, he means so much to soccer in America and U S soccer fans, um, And they've wished him well. And he's just been amazing through this process. But he's strong. He just had a checkup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
So that's gone. Just really, really, really interesting kind of where the two teams are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Both those teams, yeah. I mean, probably the biggest talking point was there's this massive A couple thousand people protest outside Old Trafford, protesting the Glazers once again. But I think about even the other side of ownership.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
When I look at Arsenal, they've said, we need to buy a striker in the last two windows, and they haven't done it for different reasons, whether that be price or whatever. And Isak is a name on everybody's lips, and he's going to cost some money. What I would say is, I'm really interested to see what Arsenal does this year because they have a window. You know this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
As you build teams, you have a window. And they're a really good team. They have really great pieces. Ethan Wennery is coming through on the one side. He's a generational talent. They have so many great pieces. They need a striker. So I'm actually thinking... I don't really like to overpay, or I wouldn't be in a camp of saying, just go overpay for somebody.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
But if Isaac's going to cost the money that he's going to cost, he's nailed on to get you 20 goals in the Premier League. He could win you the title. And if the idea is to win the title, it's not really getting the Champions League anymore. They're going to do that, right? They've won domestic cups. It's to win the Premier League. I think they have to go buy a big top goal scorer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah, just a quick note. I mean, look, Chelsea, I think, are... I actually am really happy with Chelsea. You have a first-year Premier League manager, right? What went on at Chelsea was like, let's buy all the best young players and now he's kind of streamlined the squad. And they've had a blip, absolutely. But you know what happened with that blip? They won this week and they went,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
into the top four. So I'm not really sure, like they're still ahead of schedule for me. Right. Cole Palmer had a brilliant start to the season. He's got no goal involvements in, in like six or seven games, but like that happens, you know, that happens. There's a bunch of injuries. So yeah, I'm good with Chelsea where they are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I think they're, you know, I think next year is a big, big year for him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Everyone's favorite time of the week, USLNT on USMNT, where we talk about the US men's national team. They're not in camp, so we'll talk about what they're doing in their domestic seasons. Most importantly, headlining this week is... Serginio Dest.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Doctor gave him the all clear, just not too much running in the next month. So we, as a show, want to make sure we send our love to Tony Miola. And so glad you're doing well, bud.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
He's back, back, back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Well, I mean, well played to his physio staff and himself. You know as well as I do, I was the world's worst. Like if I had an injury and the second I – and I wasn't injured a lot, thank God, and played through a lot. But if I sat down with my physio or the doctors or the surgeon and they're like, you're going to be out four weeks, in my head I was going –
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
So two and a half weeks, I can be back for sure. It didn't even cross my mind. And when you're out so long, you feel like you're missing out on everything. You're missing out on a career. You're like, well, I have to get back. And as you said, the way that rehabilitation and physiotherapy is now implemented in
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
um, in teams, you're going to more than likely if something gets repaired, you're going to come back stronger. Yeah. It's getting, it's like getting something new put in your body and then you rehab to become stronger and you see that, but you have to be able to take your time with it. And yeah, really happy for the men's national team, but also desk that, He took his time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Cause that's, I mean, you start to, as we start to break this down, LD, like the USS has got a really strong, solid back line all of a sudden, all of a sudden, but these guys, you know, if you think on the left side, Anthony Robinson, Chris Richards, left side, center back, Virginia desk, right back. And then who's it, who partners, Chris Richard, maybe CCV trustee. It looks really strong to me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah, I mean, I just think the club's just not in a great way right now. No, they're not. I think when things are trending and ebbing low, players feel that. Supporters feel that. So, you know, I just love the fire and the vigor that he plays with. It always means something for him to score. You can see that by his reaction. So, yeah, obviously scoring a brace is a big moment.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Can't give Tyler Adams enough credit for his attitude, his endeavor, the performances he puts in, the amount of emotion that he cares about every single game. Think about what that means. It's so difficult, by the way, to be a Premier League club player of the month. I mean, your consistency over the course of four or five performances is incredible.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
it's, we showed a watch party this weekend on NBC, uh, in his hometown upstate New York. They did a board at some bar. They did a Bournemouth supporters club, um, watch party. And it was crazy. Like, it's just, it's amazing that, that the, the amount of attention this kid is getting and all very warranted.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Well, no, NWSL has to – you make a good point. We've both been in USL at the ownership level, first and foremost. And, you know, USL, and I had always said it was a mercenary league, right? And it was a mercenary league because we were signing players in USL to one-on-one, right? So one-year contract, club option for the second year. And, of course, we looked after ourselves, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
So now this kid – we had it a bunch of times. Kid bangs in 15, 20 goals. And we're like, we're picking up his option because we ain't got to pay him a whole lot. And Indy or New Mexico or Oakland comes in and offers him double the salary. Well, you know what you have to do? Like a good businessman would tell me, Tim, you're an idiot. But I'm like, you got to go. Or you got to pay him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Or you got to pay him. Right? And so it becomes a mercenary league. So players are changing. And NWSL, as you rightfully mentioned, has to get away from, and I think they are, get away from that stigma of like, I don't like it here, so I'm off. Right. Like teams are teams are starting to build and move away from that. But right. It can still get better. No doubt.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
LD, what's happening, bud? We're back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah, I mean, watch that space. I think the people over at Bay are some really good people, certainly the ownership group. And you hope for everybody involved that this gets cleared and there is no issues. But it's something that has to be taken seriously. So we will. We'll watch that space and we'll continue to kind of stay across it as things develop.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Mark, the new sporting director that recently named Mark Parsons, I quite like him. I think I think he'll come in and settle some things down. And to your point, create that pathway in that direction. They don't need to rebrand or re-identify themselves, but just kind of settle things down and streamline it. I asked you the question, did they get out over their skis a little bit?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Because there was so much hype. There were so many celebrity investors. They had everything that you dream about having in terms of starting a club. And I just wonder, because I've seen this. I've seen this with ownership groups that I've been a part of. I've seen this in general from the outside. When you buy a club, start a club, invest in a club, it is like you're so excited.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
You wear the scarf and you take the pic. It's amazing. And then you got to get down to the nitty gritty in the day to day. And that's mundane and it's tiresome and it's not fun. Well, the losing is not fun.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
For sure. And obviously bringing in Fabrice was, was, The second hiring, I'm hiring Angela Mangano. I think she's special. I don't say that often, but I've had a chance to really sit down with Angela, see her process. We've given her a lot of autonomy in terms of like, you know what you're doing. You've been around. You understand what it's going to take to kind of reshape
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I like the love. It's good. No problem. It's good balance.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
things for this club and she has hit the ground running. And for briefs was a fantastic hire. Also some of the, you know, some of the deals caught a lot of eyes that we've, that, that she made in the off season. You know, Yasmeen Ryan was a big one, a big one, good player, by the way, good player, big money, good player, opened a lot of eyes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
And you know, one of the things that she knows and look, we finished bottom of the league. So it's very easy to say, you know what? Hmm. the only one way to go is up, but it's not just about results. Results are the most important, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
But like building a culture and a foundation, I hate using the word culture because everyone just throws a blanket over it, but creating what you're talking about, real sustainability, like a real core that every day you just said it, you know, she has an ability and a workflow that is,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
second to none so yeah really excited about about that and i think the other thing she did was the the we needed a roster overhaul she knew that we had to get younger more dynamic and she brought in players and she she targeted players who had lifted a trophy and when you look at the players we brought in they they'd either won the shield or the or the nwc uh cup like
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
These were, this wasn't by accident, right? And you talk about how do you change culture that everyone wants to talk about. You bring in people who understand and who are going to question and make sure things are done the right way. So yeah, you know, looking good, high hopes, but got to get it done on the grass. So excited.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah. Congratulations to them as a couple, but that's to them. I will say, I mean, I watched Portland last year and it's so hard for me to put my finger on Like what I think about Sophia Smith, the way that she moves across the grass, her ideas, her vision, like you can see this. I mean, to say that she's special would be, would be probably doing her a disservice.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I mean, she is an incredible striker, like just watching her movements in and around goal. I mean, she is incredible. yeah, just incredible. She's really fun to watch. So hopefully everything is incredible, great with their family. And then she gets back and we can see the best of her.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Really good. I love how much you pay attention to that West Coast corridor. It's like Seattle, LA, San Diego.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
You knew it was coming.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
You're not having this. I can already tell.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Seattle looked great. I was surprised. LAFC had been really good defensively. And I watched it and I just thought something's... I hope it's not a theme. I think it is a theme through the season. there's some bad defending in MLS, like really bad defending. And you, and you were one of the greatest attackers in the league in the history. But like, there's just sometimes we're like defenders.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
You're in the more the merrier camp. Look, from a competitive standpoint, and they'll obviously work out the logistics, what I would say is when you get to a World Cup and you get to 32 teams, just based on how qualification works around the rest of the world, I don't always think the best teams are in the World Cup, by the way. right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Like, like if you look at Europe and how many slots they get, right. Sometimes the couple of best teams in the world aren't there. Well, South America too, right? There's teams in South America, same. Asia, the same. So if you expand the field, you then, I think, get the best of Europe, the best of Asia, the best of South America, the best of Africa. Certain teams don't miss out.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Now, one might say you have to... Too bad if you miss out, you didn't reach the proper qualification. But what I would say is there are... There are always some teams that I'm like, I wish they were in the World Cup. And I think if you expand, then you get the best of the best.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
You're a very smart man.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
That I agree with. No, that I agree with. They're not.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Where have you been?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
It's time for the Fan Connection presented by AT&T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions. The best way to grow the game of soccer in the U.S. is to keep asking questions and keep talking about the sport we all love. At AT&T, connecting changes everything. And on USLNT, our connections with you will help grow the game. It's that time of the week.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
We love our AT&T Fan Connection. Thank you, AT&T. And thank you To our fans, you guys are always bringing the heat, bringing the love. Jordan, welcome in this week. How are you? Good morning. What shirt is that? What kit do you have on today?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Amazing. With the what? He has no idea. Landon does.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I'm thinking I'm certain on your paycheck somewhere. It says I am paid to defend and, and they just don't do it. But okay. I'm digressing. Seattle was very good. I love, I love the atmosphere in Seattle. Like the game kicked off and I was just like, I remember playing there with, with, um, just come back from Europe and I was playing there with Colorado.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Bohemians do great, great clubs.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah, that's not your usual house. Cool jersey.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
We're offline about it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
You going to bring some thunder to us today? What's going on?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
No, it's in the similar neck of the woods. Bro, is it Chris? Buffalo Bills Mafia spends zero time in warming areas.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
They don't have a warming area. They go, oh, it's 14 degrees. I'm going to bring a hat and gloves, and they pile into that stadium. I'm not having it. I know it's cold. I spent my life, sleep, rain, gale force winds, getting out there. Just show up. Honestly, just show up. It's your team. There's nothing. There's no supporters.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
He showed up. Yeah, so fair play. But none of his mates did because there was nobody there. Well, maybe they were in the warming section, but I was watching television. I know what I saw. You just turn up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
And I remember saying to like a couple of young guys in the dressing room, like, if you never, if you never get to the world stage, this is as good as it gets. Like this, this place is awesome. And they were great. I thought they were really, really good. Um, big credit to Jordan Morris. He's a former teammate of ours. Um, 87th goal for the club becomes Seattle's all-time leading goal scorer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Well, very well said. I mean, look, David, it's David, right? I mean, here's the thing. We do our research more than you can even imagine. The fact of the matter is, if you're fighting this stance that there's 30,000 people there, fine, fine. It looks horrific on television. There's no denying that. In stadium, because I've played there, it's not a great place to play.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
So maybe we're having a bigger conversation as Landon touched on. The stadium, how you shoot the stadium, how you kind of either tarp the upper bowl and push everyone to the lower bowl. It's been done before, right, Landon? Also, you've spent a lot of money. If you've ever heard of Everton Football Club, in the last decade, they have also spent a lot of money. It means nothing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
It's how you spend it. So hats off to you guys for loving your club and repping. So keep it coming. We like to smoke.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Let's do it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I mean, I bet he enjoys winning.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Well, yeah, I think by the nature of the dynamic of global football, European football, yeah, the fans have a much... greater say, but it's hard for me to say they're more passionate, but they do, they, they do thing like, uh, I lived in, you know, born and raised in New Jersey, the jets, New York jets haven't been good for a very long time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
And I don't really know that they fly planes and banners over the stadium. I don't know if they, uh, burn things outside of the stadium, whether on that, we're not condoning that or have sit-ins. And this is what European football clubs do. These fans, they, they have a voice and a say, and it's loud and it's proud and it's passionate.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
So, um, that naturally is going to influence people's decisions. Is it too much? Yeah, probably, probably. But we, and we see, we see the bad of that Jordan, um, oftentimes, um, With people wanting the manager out and saying and doing all the wrong things, we see the good of it. Remember the Super League? The teams wanted to break away. You know what stopped the Super League? Fans.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Fans said, over my dead body, will this ever happen? And they literally protest in droves. And they single-handedly, the fan, single-handedly stops something from happening in world football. So there's a lot of influence.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Couldn't happen to a better guy, better player. I'm buzzing for him. Number one, he's got that. But then I think he's also in touching distance of 100 goals, right? So you hope over the next two seasons, he's able to kind of eclipse that mark, which would be huge for him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Well, I mean, look, bring this back to the beginning. West Ham, and I witnessed this because I cover the Premier League every week, and David Moyes, who's a mentor and a friend of ours, I had a vested interest. All you kept, and we've said this before, all you kept hearing from West Ham is, we want to play the West Ham way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
The West Ham way ain't been played since 1966, but David Moyes came in and won football games. So let's get him out. Let's get Lopetegui in, right? that we get Lopetegui in or someone who's going to play the West Ham way, that lasted like four months. You couldn't win a football game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
So, you know, sometimes like Landon said about Arteta, like just pump the brakes a little bit, a little bit, right? And it's good to have some power and some passion, but not always.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah, it's true.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Totally. LD, let me give you another one. Nuno Espirito Santo. Sacked. Sacked from Tottenham. Wasn't good enough. Wow. Guess what? He is actually good enough.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Same. Same. I mean, you know, what I would say is that that is I've heard that that tossed around. Love the idea of it. Yeah. as you said, it's still a building that needs work. It needs revenue. It would need some investors because ultimately there are going to be people who want to come in and maybe a car park is more lucrative or maybe a high-rise apartment is more lucrative.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
We saw that with Highbury and Arsenal, right? I think they're apartments now, which is crazy to think about, but that's the world of business. So would Landon and I like to see it stay and be the home to Everton women and possibly some of the younger teams. Absolutely. That'd be amazing. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah. I mean, look, the other thing about it is like, we love Goodison. I mean, you're not going to get two people who love it more. We absolutely adore it, but the game does move on. Goodison is always going to have a place, um, in Liverpool, in people's hearts and homes, that'll never be taken away. But sometimes it is okay to move on, you know? So there's that side of it too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
But yeah, obviously the big women's derbies, you know, you want them in big stadiums because they've shown that they can sell them out. You know, certainly you look at Arsenal. So why, yeah, absolutely. Why not put them in the biggest stadiums possible to give them the atmosphere they deserve?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I mean, that's a really good point, LD. You think about where we are in American soccer and at the NWSL and specific stadiums just to the women's league. England can do that. Because, by the way, they've got pub teams who have their own stadiums. Serious, serious. There should be some investment.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I think Mimi is completely accurate. It's a hundred percent true. And scientifically proven as well. Yeah. I mean, I think the fact so many teams are doing that now, aren't they? The fashion side of, I think the NBA started. And I think there's so many teams around Europe who have, Continue that trend.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Certainly some in MLS where you have that like catwalk runway entrance to the, you know, get your wash bag and.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Maybe. It's a bit wild, but yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Is it a friend of yours?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Appreciate you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I got no issue on either side. Look, here's the thing, LD. LeBron James came into the league as the most highly touted basketball player in the history of basketball, right? As a high schooler. And he's taking every criticism on the chin and become successful. He knows what that landscape looks and feels like. He knows that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
He selfishly, and by the way, selfishly, I do mean in a good way, deserved to push Bronny through to get the golden moment where he gets to play with his son. That happens once every freaking 10 generations. I got no issue with that. What I do have an issue with is when you push him through, right? And Rich Paul allegedly goes basically to every team and says, don't draft him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Question for you. How many goals did you score in the MLS?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
If you draft him, I will send him to Australia to play, right? so that the Lakers pick him, and he's not good enough to play in the NBA. Show me right now, right? But he gets fast-tracked onto the NBA court because of his dad. No other player, by the way, in the history of basketball gets that luxury. If you're at the level of Bronny James, you do not get to step on an NBA court.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
So he got to step on an NBA court because of his father. I got no issue with that. That would be amazing to play with your son. But don't then ask Stephen A. Smith, whose job it is, by the way, the best in the world at it. His job is to critique and analyze opinions on it and have opinions on it. And yeah. And by the way, you've seen his salary. He's earned that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
He's earned the fact that he's going to have the hottest take on what is on everybody's mind. So do I have a problem with LeBron James being a father and saying, hey, cut the crap about my son? Sure. But I have no problem with what Stephen A. Smith has said and done.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Is that all-time leading? Is that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
How many does Wando have?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I get it. Bottom line is LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith both are well aware of where the cameras are at all times.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I'm getting no love in Boston with my Yankee hat. That's for sure. So we got to be careful up there. Look, thank you so much, everybody. And thank you to our presenting sponsor, VW, and our fan connection sponsor, AT&T. Have an amazing week. Miss you all. We'll be back next Tuesday with another edition of Unfocused Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
He'll get 100, man. That's awesome. Yeah, he'll get 100.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
LD is the leader on 144 goals. Wow. I'm not the leader. I'm not the leader.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
We can say what we want on this podcast.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Sorry.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
No, no, not particularly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah. I mean, I'm sure there's going to be lots of, of that. I couldn't imagine there was a scenario where he was going to play, but it's just, it's a rest. It's a rest thing. Look at what I would say for, you know, we, we are, we are at the end of this thing, right? Like, like how many more times is messy going to lace up his boots and cross the white line?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
You're, you're looking at less than 18 months. That's, I have no inside information on that, but I'm just looking at it from the vantage point of like the world cup and his contract and all that. Like, They're trying, and I have a feeling, LD, this might be a weekly segment. Miami won a Supporter Shield last year. They got knocked out in the first round. Messy missed 14 games, all competitions.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
They are going to try and win the MLS Cup. Simply put. I don't even know if they care about the Supporter Shield this year. You know, they've done that, boxed it away. They're going to try and keep pace, perform well. and keep Messi as healthy as humanly possible to play the best possible minutes from September to November. They are. They are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
And I know that's hard for people to think about and balance. And yes, there's a responsibility to the league and to the fans. But I would imagine David Beckham is thinking if number one goal is to lift that cup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah, quick segue. We lied. We don't often lie, but when we do, we make sure we tell you. Landon Donovan is not the leader, all-time leading goal scorer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
So number one all time, Chris Wondolowski, the greediest striker, most amazing striker. Love Wondo. You love that guy. 171 goals. Kai Kamara, who I'm really impressed with. I mean, he's had some staying power. 147 goals. And our own Landon Donovan.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah. Incredible.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I'll give you that. Yeah, I'll give you that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Mm-hmm.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
How many days is, like, what's the sweet spot for you in Vegas? I know you're close. Now it's one.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I mean, what they just need to be careful of is, you know, I know it's three games in, so they almost kind of need a reset. And what they need to be careful of is, like, getting too far off the pace, right? Like, it's okay to not be great. And we understand the subtractions that they've had and not a ton of additions. But still... I don't know. I was going to say this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
There's an onus on the players to kind of, you know, these are champions. Like, yes, there's one or two missing, but like, this is a championship level squad. And so I feel as if, They need to be giving more. I'm not questioning their effort, but there's, you know, there's a, there's that like championship hangover. You've, you've probably had that more than, more than most, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
What's your, what's your, what's your go-to game? What do you, what do you like?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Where you're just exhaling and like, this has been, it is, it is so much easier and it's not easy, but it's so much easier to chase a title than to actually be chased. And now, now, now everybody's hunting for them. And that's so much harder, you know, from a psychological standpoint.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
No, I'm not a poker.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Yeah, it is. We're not touching on Philly, but you mentioned Philly. Jesus, he has six goals. He's on fire. And by the way, Philly are incredible at the moment. They've got some pieces.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
People have got some receipts, bro.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Amazing. They are incredible, by the way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
You were throwing all your chips into the middle of the table. It's fine. I was working. Probably the best game of the weekend, actually, was Forest-Manchester City. Yeah. One nil for us at home. I personally have never been to the city ground, which is an incredible, incredible stadium with, like, rich in history.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
I mean, you know, in the 70s, Forest War, I know people think that was a million years ago, but Forest War, a European force. I mean, they were incredible. And my goalkeeper coach, Chris Woods, who you know from Everton, he was the goalkeeper behind Peter Sheldon all those years. So, I mean, I've heard stories about those amazing Nottingham Forest teams.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
At any rate, it's an incredible place to play. It's one of those old school, you know, you talk about Goodison, Everton leaving Goodison for a new home, but this is one of those old school proper football grounds. And they're really home, real home field advantage, and they play on that. And Look, I think, you know, is Nuno Espirito Santo the frontrunner for manager of the season? He has to be.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Oh, he has to be. He has to be. Him and Slott, of course, at Liverpool. But the way that he – what it is is we haven't seen this from Nuno, which makes it even more special. At Wolves – again, Wolves are probably where they are. They're about to the bottom of the table. They had a few good seasons, certainly under Nuno, but it was a more pragmatic style.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
We got something special. For the first time on the Unfiltered Soccer Podcast, we have our first guest, and it is my honor. Let's go. to introduce Bolton legend, Houston Dynamo legend, US Men's National Team World Cup member, lead soccer analyst at Fox Sports, soccer dad, and all around a truly amazing friend and person, Stu Holden. Stu, welcome in, buddy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah, I mean, I think it is. I'm a little torn on it because I am a fan of, you know, there's sometimes where I'm a fan and sometimes I'm an owner and sometimes I'm an analyst. But, you know, there is power in that. And we've seen it for the good, right? We saw it for the good when... when the European Super League was trying to form and fans were like, that ain't happening over our dead bodies.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And they single-handedly stopped it almost. And so we see that for the good. Look, sometimes it gets a little bit nasty, but what I would say is, and I'm tilting this conversation to the positive, what I would say is, again, I... I started MLS. You guys started MLS when there was nobody there. They didn't care.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
So I'd much rather have to navigate a fan base that is passionate and cares than one that just doesn't turn up and could care less about our team. So that's from my perception.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
That's generous, 5,000.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I mean, that would be on brand for you, bro. It would be on brand. I appreciate the shout because I don't have that sponsorship yet, but we're working on it. We're working on it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah, I mean, I think to piggyback off that, it's one of those, when you look at, and we keep talking about over the next 24 months, which is now 18 months, essentially, and what we've built in this country from a soccer standpoint, from sponsorships, television, NWSL, MLS, I mean, the landscape couldn't be brighter. And the people that want to go into their pockets and be a part of soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And that starts with MLS, but they're also have an eye on the world cup and, and NWSL. And so it's, it's pretty, you know, some of the, some of the franchise numbers for even NWSL clubs now are through the roof. And it's, it's like, you could have never thought that 10 years ago. So like where soccer is right now is healthy. I do agree with you. I think we need, some really dominant teams.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And I'm less, I I'm one who look, parody is good. I also, I also love the fact that there's going to be villains and heroes and you, and you're going to chase, chase the villains at the top. So I do, I think big, big players at certain clubs are good. I think just solid organizations all around who aren't built around big stars are also good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
So I think the balance is, is starting to get evened out.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Correct. Correct.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I'm just going to leave. Leo Messi was this year's recipient of the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award. We'll get to that part in a second. But Stu, when you look at His numbers, they were ridiculous. 20 goals and 10 assists in a regular season. This is how the top five looked in the voting. Messi, Kucha Hernandez, Evander, Benteke, and Suarez.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
The problem is, for some people, is Messi didn't play a lot of games. So go. I want your take. You seem very passionate about this. I'm cool. I'm good. If you can score the goals and the goal involvements that he had and play, I think it was 19 games or something, yeah, you're valuable to me. You're the most valuable to me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah, we agree on that. Landon, you don't get a vote on this, but what you can do, and this is not a piss take, although every time I start something by saying this is not a piss take, people think it is, but it's not. like because Stu, Stu and I, who we think we both think we had decent careers, there is nothing named after us. How does that come up? Like, is there, is that a phone call?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Seriously? Is that a phone call from the MLS that says we'd like to do this or like walk us through that process?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Did you ask for an annual fee or something?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
But listen, as many people will say, we're in awe of you. And again, to be immortalized that way while you're still here, Jesus, that's always after you're gone kind of thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
No, stick around, kid. We're going to move this along to one of our favorite segments because this is what so many of our listeners want to hear. USLNT on USMNT. This is where we talk about the U.S. men's national team, players, teams that they're on in Europe and here in the U.S. And never mind that Milan lost. More importantly, I think for all of us, is that Christian Pulisic took an injury.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And that is not a great thing. It sounds as if he's going to be out for an extended period of time, LD, maybe like January. Is it a torn calf? I think they said torn calf, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah. That's tough. That's really tough. So, um, not great from, from the standpoint, you know, hopefully he can get himself fit because, um, you know, he has a little bit of time until the spring, um, internationals, but obviously that's not ever something you want to see.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah. Well articulated. I think for me, and we all got to this point, Stu, you battled through a ton of injuries. But I hope that even though he's young, he's very experienced, and he is the most important player on Milan. He's the most important player on the US Men's National Team, which is incredible. I hope that not just because of this injury. Injuries happen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And as you said, he's had this incredible ability to sustain this run and this consistency he's been on. What I would like for him now is, as he starts to get that seniority, again, even though he's young, is to start having conversations in those rooms where it's his voice and go, nope, nope, not playing today. Can't. Because you know what? You need me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And right now my body, whereas we know we've been in rooms where we're just like, I can't play today, but I just got to say yes. I just have to say yes. And the more senior you get, the more clout you get by being great, you can then say, mm-mm. Nah, if the guy upstairs wants me to play next week, then I need rest. And by the way, I'm not training Monday. I'm not training Tuesday.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I'll be in the physio room because you need me on the weekend. So I think he's getting to that stage, but I hope the injury isn't bad and that the rehab goes well.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah, that's fair. I mean, you can share Atlanta. I don't have any clearly. So, um, you know, we'll just, just pass them along.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah. The conversation around it is the same. People being able to advocate for yourself and being able to have people around you who are advocating for you. Because we talked about this when Christian went back to Milan, it was club versus country is real. You are an asset to both and they want everything.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And as you said, they can see you in the red zone and they're still going, how do we get more? Because I need more because what happens with the US men's national team is more important to me than what happens at Milan and vice versa. So Having strong advocates, I think, is important. We want to get your take on something here. PSV beat Twenta 6-1. Tillman and Ricardo Pepe both scored.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
The interesting conversation that we're having, both Landon and I and everyone in America, is... We need a number nine. Flo gets injured. Flo's a number nine. But Ricardo Pepe, like, God bless him. He's arrogant. He's hungry. He wants the goals. He's getting the goals. Like, it's his time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Give us your thoughts on where we are with the striker position, what you think about Pepe, and kind of the order of things that I know flows out for a little bit.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I said it. I said it's gross.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Totally. Yeah. And look, I think I think for and we've all been there, right? We all we've all we've all been the journey of like trying to trying to make a World Cup team, trying to be relevant. And right now he has 18 months to do that. And if I'm in his camp, I'm just simply saying, look, you've now proven you can score goals on this level.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Anything you do now between now and the next 18 months, just be in a position to score goals. If that means go on loan to MLS, if that means go to another club, if that means stay at PSV, I don't care. At this point, all you need to do is consistently score goals between now and then. And then you get yourself in a shop window and you're in a World Cup and here you go.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
So I totally agree with that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
LD, let's jump into the Premier League. A little bit chaotic. So Liverpool and Everton at Goodison Park was postponed due to crazy weather, particularly in that area. So with them not playing, you then get Man City drawing to Crystal Palace 2-2. Arsenal draw 1-1 with Fulham. It They didn't take advantage of that. And we will talk about someone who did take advantage of it in Chelsea.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
But Forrest then beats Man United 3-2, which was just like... When you start to think about the new process under Ruben Amorim, it's going to take time. And you're like, that's okay, but we need to get some results. And then that...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
It's a really bad result. But again, it's like, I know Forrest is doing well this season, but as a new manager coming in, you still need to get those results, right? Because... Part of it, as we've talked about, is stripping away the old ideas from Tin Hog and putting in your new ideas as Amarim. And as you do that, you need to get some results. And that didn't happen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
But also the performance, although it wasn't totally flat, it was a little bit, it left something to be desired. Look, you can see the patterns. You can definitely see the ideas. I don't think the players are there. So you're almost looking at this now as like, let's maybe, this season's kind of a wash. Europe's probably gone in terms of like top four. We're not going to win.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
We're not going to win the league. So maybe we just take it on the chin and we just keep working at getting better in terms of philosophy, knowing that there's going to be players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And you're the biggest team, the biggest name. Yeah, that's right. That's how it works.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Meanwhile... He's a state-like figure, as every United manager is. So you have to try and manage things on and off the field. Speaking of off the field, go ahead. I know you were going to jump right into that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
So, so, so, so tons of background here. So obviously Dan Ashworth, he, he is, he was so highly coveted at Newcastle as a technical director and United wanted him and paid, paid a couple million pounds for him and they put him on gardening leave, which obviously then that meant he couldn't work for, Five or six months. Wait, can you explain gardening leave? What the hell does that mean?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
It goes in the garden? It's almost like a non-compete, really. But why do they call it gardening leave? That's a good point. Does he go gardening for a while? He does. He spends a lot of time in his garden. That's what I'm saying. They identified their guy. They went out and got him. They jumped through all these hoops because he's that highly sought after.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Sir Jim Radcliffe and then Omar Barada that they brought in. um at the at the level and then he gets there and i'm trying to i'm trying to think when when when he arrived he ends up they agreed a compensation deal um in july and then he gets hits the ground running and As you know, after the Man City, Man United, FA Cup Final, Man United win, they do a season review, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And then they extend, not extend Ten Hag, they keep him on as manager, right? That's obviously a collective decision. It has to be, right? Everyone has input. And then... When you do that, you have to back the manager. We've always talked about that. We understand that that's how it works.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And so Dan Ashworth was in charge of going out and signing Xerxe, Yarrow, Mazraoui, which are players at Ten Hag One. That's natural. That's how you should do it, by the way. And Dan Ashworth said, these are my signings because we've backed the manager. We brought him back. We want to get him his signings. Then obviously it doesn't go well. And here's the problem.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Because this information, by the way, in a perfect world, got leaked. Here's why. Because United would want this to maybe come out at worst on Sunday during the Tottenham Chelsea game, right? You can kind of bury it somewhere in there Sunday afternoon. At best, it comes out Monday morning. None of that happened, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
So this information was leaked and they talked about him leaving by mutual consent. I can assure you Dan Ashworth didn't leave Manchester United five months after he got there by mutual consent. Here's a key factor. Let me read this to you. United were beat by Liverpool in September, 3-0.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Ashworth tells a reporter that he played no role whatsoever in retaining Ten Hag in a joint interview with essentially his boss, Omar Barada, who says Ten Hag has our full backing. So now this becomes probably untenable, essentially. This is like I've been... Dan Ashworth probably in that moment undermined Omar Barada, and then it was just a matter of time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Which is... I'm just not sure you do that. In fact, I'm certain you don't undermine the person who's directly above you. And if you do, you have to be ready for these consequences.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah, look, it's incredible because the reason no one talked about Chelsea is because Chelsea hadn't gotten it right. This is now becoming very, very right. What do I mean by that? Todd Boley comes in, they sign a ton of young players, right? Too many young players. And the entire squad has ballooned. They signed him all of these very lengthy contracts. No one can figure out what's going on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
It's manager after manager after manager, right? And then Maresca comes in. And Maresca right now has the magic wand. He's doing so many things right with this team. He's got them aggressive. He trimmed his squad. I mean, Raheem Sterling went out, right? He... Trim the squad. He said, I don't want these players. I know they signed. I don't want them. They're out.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Then he took two teams and he said, I'm going to have a weekend team in the Premier League. And then I'm going to have a midweek team. That's it. And he's been very direct. Mattaweke, who's been brilliant. He didn't start him because he said, I know you scored, you're playing well, but you're not working hard enough. Brilliant from a manager, right? Plays Jadon Sancho, Sancho ends up scoring.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
So now he's got this magic wand, things are going. And the reason no one thought that was because why would we? Managers couldn't get it right. Why is Maresca, who hasn't had any Premier League experience, going to get it right? These are all kids. except for the fact it's now working.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
They've got the best player in the Premier League in Cole Palmer alongside with Mo Salah, of course, at Liverpool, and things are working really well. And so I think he's downplayed it, you know, in terms of they're not in the title race. They're absolutely right in the thick of the title race.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And I think the great thing is that's his job, is just to downplay it, continuing to drive his team forward, because you know, which I'm sure you'll say, but as players, they'll be on the chat group. I said yesterday, they'll be on the chat group going, We're in this thing, you know? And so no matter what the manager says inside that dress room, they know they're in it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And one of the things about, you know, just to dovetail off that, one of the great things about youth is naivety. These players don't know any better. They're expressing themselves. They're in a title chase in the Premier League. They're like, this is what dreams are made of. And it's great when you're not experienced and you don't have to worry about your past ghosts and demons.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
These kids are like, let's go. It's in front of us. Let's fight. And so I think that's pretty awesome.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah, I mean, kind of my shared experience was like, you know, for my sins, I'm a New York Giants fan and a New York Knicks fan. And, you know, I... I always want to go to those games, but they're like too expensive, you know, like any decent seat. And I'm not talking about the ones all the way at the top, but any decent seat is super expensive.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
You know, when you, when you, when you talk about forget season ticket, I couldn't force you to take a loan out for that. But like per game ticket, I was like, this seems really, really high. So I get to, I get to England and I'm in the Premier League and I'm young and I hear that I, Fans can, fans complain about ticket rises and season ticket prices all the time, every year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Anytime there's a rise, they complain, which I guess is their, is their prerogative. But then I remember digging a little bit, a little bit deeper. And I was like, and I was like, well, how much is a, and I know there's, there's different amounts of games and amounts of home games based on NFL and Premier League and NBA.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
But I remember thinking like somebody would tell me how much a season ticket was. And it was at the time, I think it was like, 500 pounds or something. And I was like, like for, for the game or for the entire season, that's one game for a Knicks game. Right. So I'm like, I'm like, well, I'm from New York.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And like, if I wanted to see a Knicks game and like, have like, not have to bring my binoculars, I pay $500 for like one seat. And so like, it didn't, it never, it never registered with me. Not to look people, people work hard and they spend their hard earned money. Right. But the product for soul, this is the interesting thing. The product continues to go up. Television rights continue to go up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Right. Value for players and contracts continue to go up. it's natural in that ecosystem that ticket prices go up, like everything does. And so I've never really, look, I understand the plight of the fan. Of course you want to make things accessible and affordable, but at the same time as fans and I'm a fan, right? We, we, We like to complain about any and everything.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And that's just another thing that fans will complain about with their club. And oftentimes, to be honest, I think the clubs are doing, the clubs are a business and are having to run the business effectively. And oftentimes you have to raise season ticket prices when it's merited.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
LD, it's mailbag time. Everyone's favorite time of the week because our listeners get to have their say. You know who else's favorite time of the week it is? JR. JR. Jordan, get in here. Get some FaceTime. We know you love it. Do you see my hat?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Of course. I love it. Is that a Gotham hat? Yeah, it is. It's a good team. We're going to get you a Houston Dash hat. Don't you worry about that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Oh, that's cool.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Love it. Well done, Jordan. That's brilliant. That's why we were there. NL Jackson. Good for you. Old Corinthians Football Club, 1886.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah. You know, it was interesting. I was, I was watching it and it's just thought like I couldn't to my, to my comment last week, LD, like finals are cagey because basically you have each team has one hand on the trophy. So you're like, we're afraid to lose this. And that's how teams play. It's just natural. And I just remember thinking the second half was so chaotic.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah, I mean, I don't think landing has to be one fix, right? USL can feed a lot of different areas. And I think in Memphis with 901 FC, it was about creating an opportunity for guys to earn a living, right? These were guys who were never going to get to the MLS. And they earned a decent living.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I also think there's a there's an opportunity, as Landon said, in this country, we haven't quite figured out the best path for for.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
players at a lower level and the problem with usl is they don't want to be seen as a second division they are they're a thriving first division and so and so when you look abroad as landon mentioned if i'm at manchester united and i'm not quite ready i can go on loan to a championship club and ply my trade in fact they actually do that quite often to young players just to kind of get them stronger and more equipped to play in like a tough environment and so it could serve as that but um
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I think the USL, again, it's going to depend on partnerships. It's going to depend on whether they want to continue to stay as an independent league. But ultimately, you have a lot of voices. And for so many owners, it's about creating a product on the field that is profitable and trying to bring the best players in. What I would say is...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
The top 10 best players in the USL are better prepared to compete and contribute in the MLS than any kid coming out of college. And so there's some incredibly talented players. Unfortunately, on the MLS side, and I've seen this throughout time, they almost look down their noses at USL players. And it's almost like we shouldn't go dip into that. And I would...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I couldn't, I literally couldn't believe it. I think, I think both sets of teams, like you get into these games and oftentimes say like, it's easy to say like control tempo. Sometimes you get into this back and forth basketball match and you can't stop it. It's just the ball gets lumped. They're on top of second balls. You try and play it. It gets nicked.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I would push to any MLS club, go out and look at the top 10 best USL players. They absolutely can compete in your team. Agreed.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Same. No, no, I don't, I don't have anything to add because I do. I think, I think with the restrictions of weather, they probably, they probably pale in comparison to all the benefits of actually being on the full international calendar that every other player gets around the world. So I think that's important.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
So, and you can probably find a way to be really clever and tweak some of the, some of the games and where the games are played and that type of thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Well, I think what profit and sustainability has shown in the Premier League is that they are trying to balance things out a little bit. And, you know, Everton was hit with sanctions. Nottingham Forest was hit with sanctions. Man City could be as well. And so it makes you have to be a little bit more responsible and frugal with your books. And so I think that is a good thing. We are seeing that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
You know, regarding MLS, you know, people have to remember MLS is for so long back when I started, you know, I started 1998, two years after the league was born really. And there was a, there was so many failed soccer leagues in America throughout the course of our history that they had to keep things going.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
tight they had to keep the wallets tight the the spending couldn't balloon we had to grow this league and a credit to to all the owners and commissioners who have have tried to grow this league and make it sustainable like you we couldn't go from zero to a hundred there had to be these growing uh metrics and and we've and we've seen that we've seen that go up look as as far as i'm concerned
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And it was so chaotic that I was utterly thrilled at the environment that it was. I love the fact that it was in LA. And look, off the field, I heard all the post-game speeches. I... I have so much respect for the galaxy organization and how, you know, you've been a part of it for forever. Like they are the benchmark in MLS and the way that they didn't rest on past history.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I do think spending is good in the right areas, but you can't go top heavy and just spend when some of the other vehicles for profit into the club aren't quite there yet.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
So, yeah, look, I think that the model right now, and I'm obviously incredibly interested to hear Landon's take on it, and we spoke with Stu a little bit ago about is it important to bring the biggest player in the world in, or is it important to spread that money throughout your squad and be successful?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
How much up front?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
You know, look, I want feedback. We always talk about hit us up at Unfiltered Soccer. Give us your feedback because I need like some staunch baseball fans to like weigh in here. $15 million. three quarters of a billion. No, 15 years. 15 years, three quarters of a billion dollars. It's the 15... I'm almost better with the money than I am with the years. I don't understand.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I know Alex Rodriguez back when signed a 13-year deal or something. I don't understand the length of these contracts because Juan Soto, if I'm correct, he's probably not giving you 15 years of good service, right? I hope that's not blasphemous. Who's giving you... who can you commit to giving you 15 years of production? Right. I know there's an opt out after five years. Um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
The numbers make you dizzy, right? And all I can think about is Bobby Bonilla, for God's sake.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
So 2035, he's getting a million per year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
So here's the thing. Three takeaways. It's good to be Bobby Bonilla. It's good to be Juan Soto. And it's really good to be Scott Boris, who is his mega agent.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And it's, I guess, great to be in the New York market because it's going to be some big hitters. I think the Mets and the Yankees showed this year that they're back. Not as back as your Dodgers are, but it's fun. I think it's fun. I would have liked to see them stay at the Yankees, but a lot of fun.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Like things have been, things went sour over the last couple of years. And for me, it would have been easy to say like, yeah, but we're the galaxy. It's fine. Like they, they, They took it personally, what LAFC had built. They took it personally that they weren't good enough. And they decided to get back to their standards and raise it. And they did it in a very direct, intentional way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Listen, I'm going to wear my jersey on National Team Week as well. Proudly, by the way, because that's all I get now is just to be a fan.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
But here's the, to your point, right? So the Mets were 15 years, 756 million. I think the Yankees offered 16 years at roughly the same, give or take roughly the same, right? So there was an extra year. And I think it speaks to the psyche of, us former athletes. I personally, on the outside, I'm like, stay with the Yankees. The numbers are virtually the same. You're not giving the Mets 15 years.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
You're not giving the Yankees 16 years. So stay with the Yankees. Build there because you have a great thing. But also, as we know, everyone likes being the highest paid. Everyone likes being the marquee. Because by the way, he's not the marquee name on the stadium at the Yankees. But if he goes across town, he's now the marquee name in the same market.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
So it speaks to the psyche of these players and I don't begrudge him at all. Well done to the Mets.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah, thanks, everybody, for listening. Thanks, Stu Holden. I mean, what an absolute gent and legend. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, VW. Have a great week. We'll be back next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And I just thought, wow. I was blown away by that and really impressive and happy for Greg Manning.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I couldn't take it. I know. It probably made you sick, but it was so fun. I was watching the game, and then the Love Fest came on after, and I was just like, oh, my God, here we go, Galaxy again. But it was good to see you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
I think the interesting part about it is we're all of a similar generation, and we've seen different iterations of MLS. And what we have to do now is we have to respect the American soccer fan. There's no team in MLS that wants to be crap but have this amazing DP. No one wants that. That used to be MLS, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
It used to be, don't really care if we win, bring the star from Barcelona, Bayern Munich, wherever, and we'll clamor around this one player even though we stink. Fans don't want that anymore. Fans would much rather have no household names and win than one or two massive stars to go see every now and again and lose.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
To Greg Vanney, again, I can't give him enough flowers because here's the thing, Lenny, you talked about him being under so much pressure. Do you know how, it's difficult to win a championship. It's nearly impossible to be the guy who's won championships and come into an organization and be the one who's supposed to be the savior. That's nearly impossible. It's nearly impossible.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
And the fact that he was able to weather that storm, I just, even after the game, he's a very humble guy, in my opinion. And even after the game, I was thinking, I'm would love to hear him say, yeah. He didn't do it. He was very humble. He took it in stride.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
Yeah. It was one of those.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
No chance. Welcome everyone to Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S. Soccer for the past five years. LD, I see your VW swag going strong in the back. I'm glad you got it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
LA Galaxy Wins 6th MLS Cup, Pulisic Injured, and Chelsea's EPL Chase
But everyone gets it wrong, Stu. Yeah. The chemistry is hard. The puzzle is very difficult. But when you get it right, you do realize how special it is. And we saw that in L.A. this weekend.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
What I all often think about when I watch the women, how exciting they are. One, they're the best in the world. They constantly have one to two women in the conversation of world's best player every single year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
You're putting a guy, and your Galaxy teams did this a lot, really good teams, and now you're inserting a world-class star. That's different, and I like it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
They look good. What I would say is, and for all of our listeners who've never had... the opportunity to cross the white line is when you're a footballer and I take on board what you're saying, like they've had a, it's been favorable for them early on, but I think that's great because you know, as well as I do, when you're not winning football games, you just think you stink, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Which isn't fair to you. And when you're winning football games, you think bring on Brazil. Like we got this. You think you're better than you are, but that's a healthy thing. Right. And so now whether the schedule has been favorable for them or not, they think to themselves, we've only lost one game, one four. Like this is a brilliant start to the season and we're a really good team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And so that's only going to give them confidence and confidence in football is everything. I mean, what's it been like? I was watching the game. What's it been like? In San Diego. Is there like a real vibe? Their supporters section looks great.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Yeah. Yeah, he's on it. So I watched him, and I just think feet are tidy. He sees a pass. We know he's tough as nails, right? So this is all praise. Love him. I do. I love him. I love what he brings. I mean, take him on your team all day long. My first question to you would be, where do you play him for the national team?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And my second question, and this is real, and I hope, by the way, he gets an opportunity to answer it, but it's a real question for me. I often say, and you'll hear me often say, you can be really, really good. You can be a really great Premier League player and not be quite up to par for the England national team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
You can be a really good MLS player, like top of the picks, and not be international level. That's a real thing, even though as fans we say, look, he's doing brilliantly. Call him in the national team. So I just wonder, when the fur starts to fly... in a World Cup and you're talking, we're playing Italy or like, is he out of his depth at that moment or can he compete?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Yeah, he's got a spot.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Yeah, I mean, this is so important. Our whole show is about engagement. And you all have been incredible keeping us honest, agreeing, disagreeing, being critical, praising. All these engagements are amazing. So keep it up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Interesting about that game is, well, I spoke to Robin Frazier this morning and he just said, look, things are starting to come together, which, you know, it wasn't a good start. So it looked that way. Like that kind of checks out. The other thing, you're going to love this. I'm watching, I'm watching the inter game. Into Miami, Toronto game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And Messi did like one or two things that I audibly laughed. Like I chuckled. If it was a save, I'm not sure who was watching saw it. He's on the end line and he sold this guy a lollipop, right? And then he goes by him and smashed it. Sean Johnson saves off his chest. But I rewound it and I was like, this guy like spun around and like... You got the line there. Keep the line there. That's right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And it's easy for me to say defense. But I was on my couch and I laughed. I chuckled. And I was like, that's so funny.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
It's great, but it's like he's still doing things that are making me laugh that I'm like, good for you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
I could get a bunch from DC. You could? Go ahead. Yeah. No, let's do this first, and then I'll do the best of the 11.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Who's that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Yeah. You know, the interesting thing is you make a great point. You really do. And I think the... I go back to Southampton and hiring Russell Martin and then Ivan Juric and the mess that gets created. It's so interesting because... You always hear me say, there's no other way to win a football match. It doesn't have to be super ultra progressive. And you just need winners to win.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Hire a manager, give him autonomy of the squad and let them go. And that's what San Jose is doing with Bruce. And like, duh. So I oftentimes think when it comes to these sports franchises who just kind of like are... They just wallow away in the muck and the bottom. It shouldn't be that hard. It's okay to have a couple, like three down years, totally. Like that's, you're just human.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
But it shouldn't be that hard to like figure it out. Get yourself out of it. Like you shouldn't be in this run for this long. It's just, it's not.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Using your phone while driving could kill someone. Put the phone away or pay. Paid for by NHTSA.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
No. So Liverpool scored first. Alexis McAllister bombed. That's right. Crushed it. And then, yeah, then it was 3-1 by halftime.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
They were poor defensively. It was really interesting because I think both the pre-match interviews of Slott and Van Dijk were like, it's a really tough game. And obviously, Marco Silva has fallen playing well. And we laughed and joked on air because off air, I said like, Fulham's one of the best places to play in the Premier League because it's a day out.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
It really is. Hats off, hats off to her for having the foresight. The, the investment couldn't praise her enough for what she's done and what she's doing. Um, You know, it's going to, it's going to drive women's soccer in this country to levels that are, were once probably thought untouchable.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
What I would say is, and I, and I think this is an important point when you talked about all of the list of things that, that, you know, are going to go into that investment. One of the trickier pieces for me is yes, they're going to be more young women identified. Right. But with the current model,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
the ones who are getting identified are still the ones who are basically paying to play the game, right? So we still have an issue with the sport not being accessible to all young boys and girls. And so I think hopefully with the soccer forward component of U.S. soccer, that they will use some of this investment to subsidize the sport for youth that haven't otherwise had an entry point.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
It's fun to see her back. And to our listeners, let's get her on a show. We're going to reach out to her. You all get into her inbox and tell her she's got to come on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
I want to pick her brain. She is awesome. And it's interesting. I was talking to a friend of mine who's a women's college coach at a very, very high level. And he said to me, it's almost been taboo to have a nasty, hungry dog up front. It's become, how do we get these kids to play tippy-tappy between lines, false nine, right? And his point to me was, why are we not, why are we not
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
accentuating the forwards and the strikers who can just run and be tough and be nasty, right? Because we've gotten away from that in this country. And to the bigger point, it's like, careful what you wish for, because that's what we always were, right? And now it's a bit like, well, we want to see the nice football. Well, sometimes we can do all the buildup, and that's what we do in this country.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
They don't give you any stick. And then Rebecca pushed me on it on air. And I was like, yeah, it's fun. They don't give you stick. The whole back stand is the away stand. It's a nice day out. And Liverpool's like, oh, it's tough. And I think, I don't know, they got in their own heads. Kind of took their foot off the gas a little bit, but like two or three bad defensive mistakes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
It's great. We've figured out how to do all the buildup and the pieces, but you need someone at the top end. And that's what Trenton Robbins is doing. It's awesome to see. I mean, um, you know, long may it continue. There's another game coming up here shortly. So, uh, looking forward to seeing what they can do.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Big, big, big shout out to Avery Patterson. She's awesome. Super psyched for her. It's funny because many of you don't know this about me, but like, If my coach would have asked me that, I'd have been like, have fun. I was shit scared every time I went on the field. It was just a bad, I had to go to a really dark place and I would not have said to my manager, have fun. I don't know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
That's great, Avery. Amazing. Well done.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
2025, FIFA World Cup. FIFA Club World Cup.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Thank you. Thank you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
So they paid the price.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
LD, my guy. What's really good? How was your weekend? Is that a pullover? It's a cardigan. It's a cardigan. Thanks for asking.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Thank you. Thank you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And they're good. And they're good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Thank you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Thank you. Thank you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Yeah, the problem with the title race is where Arsenal have messed up this year is they just need to keep pace. Right now, so they lost. They drew, yeah. They drew to Everton, but Liverpool lost. They needed to beat Everton, right? And then at some point, I don't know which date it is, they go head-to-head with Liverpool.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
If you can go ahead and then beat them, then it starts to get a little bit touchy, not to mention all the points that Arsenal have dropped. And it's just like they needed to keep a tighter pace because what you just said, you have to anticipate – that the leaders are going to drop points somewhere. Now, look, if the Arsenal of 2003 and the Invincibles go all the way, you hold your hand up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
probably don't win or they play such a low competition that they win and it's not really even that fun. So I don't know. I just think there there's, there's an excitement about the women currently, or certainly for a while now that, that are, that get people excited and put butts in seats and then the proof's in the pudding. So I, I like it. I love it. I mean, hats off to them.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Hopefully they'll have another really good showing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Yeah, it's a great question. There's layers to it. So again, depending where you are, right? Like if you're Fulham, you never went in the Premier League. Well, not anytime soon. Could you win a cup? Could you win a league cup or an FA cup? Absolutely, you could.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
So it's not really a priority because you're probably not going to win a Champions League or even be in the Champions League for so many of the Premier League teams. You're probably not going to win the league. So like domestic competitions start to have higher priority. If we're talking about, and I think the question is probably angled at the winners, the champions, the top teams, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
So we're going to talk about Liverpool, Man City, whomever. Always, always, always and forever, the Premier League title is the Holy Grail. Okay?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
More than Champions League. And I'll give you an example. In the city of Liverpool, they win European, they've won, they've been super successful in European competitions. You know, also mainly Champions League. When Sir Alex Ferguson took the mighty Manchester United and overtook Liverpool for league titles, the only thing that Liverpool fans wanted was a league title.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
That's all they wanted, right? They wanted Champions League in there and they loved it and they celebrated it and they thought this is really freaking good. But what they really wanted was the Premier League. So always and forever league title trumps that. Again, if you're Manchester City, as an example.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Yeah. So that's where I was going next, right? So City decide, Premier League, that ain't really hard to win. We'll just win that every year. That then became, they're chasing this Champions League that they can't seem to fricking win. So that was, but Landon, that example is, there's only like one team, you know,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Maybe Bayern is that way. Maybe Barcelona, Real Madrid are that way. PSG. PSG. But everybody else, the rest of the other 99%, would want a league title. But yeah, really good question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
If the man cities of the world that win 14 on the bounce leading into the championship Sunday, you hold your hands up. But most teams aren't that. They're going to falter at some point. We've seen Liverpool do it. Knocked out of the Champions League, lost the League Cup final, dropping points in the Premier League. It's there, but Arsenal aren't close enough.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
The stakes, when you have promotion relegation, the stakes become so much higher. That's a great point. If you're a major league baseball team, and I can name 15 of them, but I won't, there's some throwaway seasons. Now, they'll tell you there's not, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
But you can hire, the guy who was a third base coach, who's like, he's hot, he's ready to roll, he's ready for his time in the managerial dugout, They promote the third base coach to the manager. But by the way, they might be 70 games out by the All-Star break. So then they go, well, we'll give this guy an opportunity to see how he manages players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And so you see more of that in the Premier League and in most of the European leagues. Promotion relegation, the threat of that is so high that you couldn't possibly give the job to a guy you don't know what he's capable of. Like Landon said, I don't know if this guy can manage personalities. Because by the way, everybody loves you when you're an assistant coach. You're their best friend.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
You're not managing anything. Right. It becomes much harder when you're the head coach. And so I think the threat of of relegation is something that teams owners aren't even aren't even prepared to. You have to get a hopefully a tried and tested manager through the door.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Wow. Yeah. Chris, dude, bro, man, whatever you said. I get it. But I think you got to be careful when you speak to me about being biased. Because I'm on television every week, every weekend. And if you look at my comments about Liverpool... in about Everton over the last five years, I think you'll see how wrong you are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Yeah, I always have receipts. So, Chris, you got to keep up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
So, yeah, look, if you think I got it wrong and the referee and VAR got it wrong and Yeah, that's fine. I've said what I said about the red card. And I thought I, you obviously listened to the pod, which we love. So we appreciate that. I riffed on it and I went in depth about examples of a similar tackle and what I thought about it. This has nothing to do with being a blue or a red. That's absurd.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
So yeah, then we put that to bed. I said what I thought about it. Again, it's one of those plays, which again, we see, Not every weekend, but really often where everybody is torn. The internet's torn. The referee VAR is torn. Former officials and former players are torn. And on another given day, a call can go the other way. So that's not like outrageously egregious what I said.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Neither. I don't understand either of them. Because when you have a really strong Glaswegian accent, the name Tim sounds like Tom because I say, I thought Fergie was calling me Tom for a long time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Which he might not have known my name. No, David Moyes, because I was such a young pup at Manchester United and I was brought in in such a big team. And, you know, from day... So, was Sir Alex Ferguson scary? He's scary as hell. I've got amazing stories about what scared me about him. But... Ultimately, when David Moyes, I wasn't counted on at Everton. I was just one of many.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And I was low on the totem pole. When I went to Everton, I sat down with David Moyes the first day in a hotel in Bolton. And this was before the 2006 World Cup when he was wanting to bring me to Everton. And the trust that he gave me. And my desire to never let him down. He became a father figure to me. He became, I feared him because I feared letting him down.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And that's way more powerful than actually being afraid of someone.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
I don't know. I don't know. I don't like… You know, I have my opinions on how relegation should be run from here on out. Because what happens in the Premier League is the product… The product gets diluted if all of a sudden we're having teams that can't even barely reach several digits of points.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
The Glaswegian accent.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Mbidi. And then… Everyone shall remain nameless, but my first season at Everton, to kind of put a bow on this, there was a player who, after the game, everybody run. We won the game. Everyone's buzzing. Manager comes in, gives his chat, and then it goes out. Guys get in the shower, and then the guys who didn't play... have to go on the pitch and run. You see it every weekend. They got to run.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
They got to get their stats up, get the running stats up to, you know, with the guys who played in the game. So we had this one Joey on the team and he said, I ain't going to run. I'm not running. And the fitness coach is pleading with them. So finally the boys go out to run.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And obviously the fitness coach was like, Gaffer, listen, we're going to, we got to go do our fitness, but so-and-so is not running. Well, we won 4-0. Everyone was jovial until Moisey came back in the dressing room. And he got to grips with this fella and just starts pinning him up against the wall. And he says, you're not going to do what? This guy was talking big before the guy forgot him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Anyway, he got his clothes and left and said he was going to call the police and whatever. Anyway, job done, mate. That was great. So good. So I was scared of Moisey, for sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Yeah. And Gretzky was there, right? Am I, am I, am I correct in saying that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
I know that's on the day before. I mean, Ovechkin has been incredible. I mean, his names and hip hop songs for crying out loud. Like he's, he's incredible. I often think about these goals, these records, these goal records. And like, yes, you have to be talented, but,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
but you have to have longevity you can't you can't you can't have one or the other you have to have both and i think the longevity piece for me like to be that good and that consistently good over over over so many years like more than a decade it's just it blows my mind it's you know your hat goes off to me just kind of speechless like there's not many of these guys out there and to break the record of you know not only does gretzky have the record gretzky is the greatest ever
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And so I think teams, and this is for a larger conversation about relegation and parachute payments, but I think teams should have a percentage of their parachute payment taken away if they can't reach 10 points or 15 points. I mean, think about this. Think about this. Teams, and we talk about how great the Premier League is now. 40 points used to be the target. It's going to be half of that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Right. So like that, that to me was pretty fun. Yeah. I think that's the cool thing about team sports, man. Like you feel it when you're, when one of your teammates breaks record, like you feel like you were a part of it, you know? And so, yeah, that was fun to see.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
probably not but it'd be close half of that you don't have 25 yeah i mean you can you should be able to get you should be able to get 20 points with your eyes closed it's it's it's not great and you're saying because just because they didn't they're not spending right i mean they're not they're not putting together a product that's capable they're not spending and i think you know my other big and and nobody i mean obviously we we look forward to your comments but nobody will convince me
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
that there aren't a number of ways to win football matches. What they basically did was they came in, the owners came into the club and created an ethos of how we're going to play. So we're going to play, we're going to do the pep style. We're going to be expansive play in between lines. Right. And we're going to hire managers that, that, uh,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Fit that, train that way. We're going to sack one manager off because he's not getting results, but then we'll bring another manager in who plays that way. We still don't get results. The bottom line is when you get into the Premier League, you stay in the Premier League by hook or crook. It doesn't matter.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And if at a certain point you get enough years in the Premier League and you have enough money in terms of investment, you can then go buy higher quality players. What nobody is telling people In the world of football, if you want to play like Pep Guardiola, you have to have stars. You have to have stars.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
You cannot play like Manchester City or Barcelona or the other couple of teams in the world that play that style and have average Premier League players. You just can't do it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
My suggestion is, and we see this with Ange Postakoglu at Tottenham, which we'll get to. Top world-class players, which you and I both were, enjoy the challenge of different formations and different ideas. If on your best day, your team was playing a 4-4-2. And all of a sudden, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Someone changed and said, Landon, today we're going to play a 4-3-3 and you're going to be on the wing and you're going to do... This is the new job for you. You'd relish that. You can take these ideas on board. What these managers do is they marry themselves to formations and then they go, this is how we're going to play no matter what.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And by the way, if the stuff hits the fan and I have to change, now I look weak so I won't change. No, you're actually saying, hey, we're going through an injury crisis a la Tottenham or... We have to match up with Manchester City today. So guess what? We're not going to play the same way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
We're actually going to try and be a bit more stout defensively and give ourselves a chance to hang in the game. No, we'll go toe-to-toe with them. We'll be expansive because this is the way I play. The managers have got a responsibility to be more flexible or hire a manager that has the ability to play. Nuno Espirito Santos is a perfect example of that. He has the flexibility.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Sometimes we're in the back three, sometimes we're in the back four. Thomas Frank always says... When we play teams that we think we can beat, we play one formation. When we play the top six, we play a different formation. He doesn't look weak. He doesn't look weak. So the manager's got to do a better job.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Yep.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
You know, it's interesting. A dear friend of mine is a Tottenham season ticket holder, and he has been for many moons. Poor guy. As much as he's critical of parts of the club, which supporters are, he also – we had a long chat back and forth on text, and he wrote me a long text about so many of the good things that have happened at Tottenham Football Club under Daniel Levy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And so it is a balancing act. I think you have to – I think you have to figure out as a supporter, like, what are you willing to live with? Right. Because no ownership group is perfect. So I know you get a lot of these protests and I think sometimes fans, they feel the sense of,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Ownership with the club and I get it because they're passionate and they do invest at a certain level into the club, you know?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
And to your point, Tottenham as a whole from the hierarchy have said, have told the global public they are a big six club. We are a top club in the world. So they've set the bar that way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
It's kind of crazy because, like, on one hand, I do agree with you. I mean, like, you can start rattling off the best midfielders in Premier League history and quickly get to, like, eight without even, like, batting an eye, right? And then you're questioning, like, could he even get in that team? Which speaks to the power of the Premier League, but also, like, hang on a minute.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
He's won like 14 trophies or something, you know, in his time at City. Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, like he's done it all. And he's been the captain and he's been brilliant and sensational regarding assists and goals like... and some of the spectacular variety. So it's like, wow, like how great is the Premier League and how great is he? So those debates are always really fun.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
I had the interesting thing about De Bruyne, and I think Mo Salah is the only one, I think there's probably three that I can really name that have ever done this to any real extent, is Kevin De Bruyne, to use English terminology, failed in England. He was at Chelsea, wasn't good enough, right? Went to Germany. Very few people reenter the Premier League and have this sort of career.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Loved that. Did you do the fire and the truck and the shrimp?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
People come and go into Premier League and like, oh yeah, he played on a certain team and now he's okay. But to do, to basically fail, Mo Salah was the same. Mo Salah was the same at Chelsea, right? Then he, I think he went to Roma and like, you couldn't have seen this coming. I played against Kevin De Bruyne at Chelsea. Wolfsburg, City, and with Belgium.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
I mean, to see the rise, you know, it's absolutely incredible. So hats off to him. I mean, what's next for him, LD?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Well, it's funny that my daughter and I saw the preview for Snow White and we looked at each other like, yeah, we'll come back. Because we try and go see the movie. It's not even like you recline in these big chairs. You can get a glass of wine and some popcorn. It's just like spending time with your kids is great. But I got to see it. I worked all weekend. So soccer, soccer, soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Yeah, I mean, we're talking based on some substantiated rumors, right, that he'll go to San Diego. I love it. I got to be honest. I know he's 34 years old, but he's a fiddle, right? Let's start there. He's really easy on the eye. You know, you are one of those players who kind of glide across the grass. He does that. He operates. He's very efficient, right? He's very efficient, tidy in his touch.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
He lets the ball do the running form a lot. Mm-hmm. Still, you know, Pep's weird. Pep Guardiola's weird because he didn't play a lot this season, right? And so with Pep, he falls in and out of love with players very quickly, right? Phil Foden last year had a career year. Now he's crap. He's been dropped, right? So he falls in and out of love.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
Don't mistake the fact that Kevin De Bruyne can play 35 games in the Premier League easy, right? Like easy this season. So I think he goes there. And the other thing is, and Miami's a perfect example of this, They've got some real talent in San Diego. That team's going well. You all of a sudden put a guy into a team that's going well, that's a different story.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
USWNT Win, Liverpool Lose, De Bruyne on the Move, & DC Decline
So many of these big players, because this is what we do in MLS, you get this player From abroad, he's a star. And you're like, sell some seats. Be our savior. That's different because that is going to gas these players out. They're going to be like, I ain't got time for this, bro. I passed the ball to a guy. They can't even kick the ball, right? That's different.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah, yeah. I think there's no way in the world Manchester United gets relegated. So Forrester are going to have to pull a Leicester for me in this one. Yeah. Not in Forrester to win the league. It ain't happening. Well, United getting relegated didn't happen, and no chance.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
What's more likely? Mo Salah, this thing's funny. Mo Salah is one of the greatest of the greats. Look, Trent Alexander-Arnold's going to Real Madrid. When? I don't know. He's going to Real Madrid. Most solid... He spoke in the media in the mixed zone for the first time in forever a couple weeks ago and talked about his contract.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
And then yesterday, he scores the goal and then he does that celebration. Then he prays and then he lays down and salutes. It was all this weird, like, this is my last kind of hurrah thing. And then he got interviewed this week and said, what's more important, the Champions League or the Premier League? And he said the Premier League because...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
This is what unfiltered is all about. It's okay to love your kids and yet at the same time want them to be out of the house in school.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
you know, like kind of like this, this is the last, this is the last time I'll do it. Like, so he was emphatically saying, it feels like he's negotiating in the media. Um, Van Dyke is, is, is tried and tested. He's a brilliant captain. He's exactly what you, how you want, uh, your contract negotiations to go because we know nothing about Virgil van Dyke, not from Liverpool, not from his side.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Um, I think the answer is Liverpool extends Virgil van Dyke's contract.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
And how is this happening? Let me throw this wrinkle in, just to add on to what you're saying. I think in certain moments, there are outliers. And I think this is a situation where... there's an outlier. And I think ultimately, if there's a solution, I think Liverpool budge. Here's why. Because you have a player.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Liverpool, which like a lot of clubs, but Liverpool do it really well in terms of recruitment. There's a certain age where no matter how good you are, we don't give you extra contracts. We don't give you extensions. We don't give you extra years. That's how a lot of clubs do it. And they're right because the numbers tell you at a certain age, people tail off, right? Now, you look at Mo Salah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Now, can he, because the end happens fast. So can he fall off in the next 18 months? Sure. But he's looking at it. His body's perfect. His lifestyle is perfect. He's scoring goals at an unbelievable clip, which is consistent with what he's done before. He's looking at it and going, forget, I should get a raise and I should get more money because look how well I'm doing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
So I agree with him, but I also agree with Liverpool saying, hey, we have a wage structure. We have a way of doing things and we don't really want to break that and set that precedent where, but they might have to.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
In a lot of ways, I think MLS can do better. I've seen, I've heard, I've been a part of head coaching hiring. I know you have as well from a front office ownership standpoint in various roles. And I just think a lot of the things I hear, LD, in terms of how clubs go about the hiring process, I think they're overcooking it. I think they're overthinking it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I know for a fact, and in some of my playing days, it's like trying to reinvent the wheel. Every GM, every president, every owner wants to unearth the next best gem. The hard process for me is so often, and we see this with the names that we've just read, It's about how you interview. And that to me is a shame.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
That to me is a shame because it should be about how you, how you as a, as a hiring group can reference and back reference people who have worked with this coach, good and bad, have enough wherewithal and Intel to, to decipher some of that information, right? Because if you talk to enough players are going to go, I hate this guy. Well, okay. That doesn't mean he's not good. Um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
No, it's fine. It's totally fine. Unfortunately for our children, they have privileged parents that they get to drive crazy because my mom, when she was out working two jobs, it was like, bro, there's some soup in the pantry. Have at it. I'll see you at five.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
and and you have to have enough layers now i don't think a lot of a lot of ownership groups and executives have enough layers in the game to back channel and so then it becomes all about the interview process and the person who can be lights out in an interview is the one that gets the job and i think that that's that's a scary thing and i think we're seeing that i listen i've lived this um
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Listen, hang on. Real quick. There's... You're... Sadly, I'm looking out my window. It's snowing, which is amazing. It's like a winter wonderland in New York. You are not an East Coast guy. So Toronto and NYFC are out. Why don't you put your name in the hat for Vancouver Whitecaps? No, no, no. Why? Why are we not going down that route?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah, that's true.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
You're a bad interviewer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah. Everywhere?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
37%.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Well, I think you hit the nail on the head. It's going to be, I re I reckon that the Philadelphia fans will, who are notoriously, um, passionate. I think they'll probably give this experiment some time because they want to, they want a winner.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
And obviously it will, it will probably lead to some exciting football, but to your point, they are Red Bull people, the GM and the coach of Red Bull people. And if that doesn't start well, um, there'll be a lot of discontent. I think those numbers, as you just mentioned, it might work out, Tim, it might work out.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
What were your thoughts? I think the game was slow to boil. Coming into the game, you, me, and everybody else was kind of like, how bad is this going to be? Right. Liverpool flying high on merit and, and United just sinking like a stone and can't seem to get things right under Amarim. And then you're also like, this is a Darby. It's the biggest Darby in British football.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
The Unfiltered Soccer Podcast is brought to you by Volkswagen, the presenting partner of U.S. Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
They're not just talking about it, they're out there doing it. VW's partnerships, programs, and soccer clinics are unlocking opportunities for the next generation of players and fans.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Thank you to VW for being our presenting partner. Learn more about how VW are supporting U.S. soccer at VW.com. There's a lot in life that feels like it should be guaranteed that just isn't. Your team winning the championship, the weather being good on game day, your friends remembering who has the tickets. Some days, you're just a goal-scoring machine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
The AT&T guarantee means connectivity you can depend on, deals you want, and service you deserve. Or they'll make it right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Learn more at att.com forward slash guarantee. Terms and conditions apply.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Okay, okay, it is time for USLNT on USMNT. Anthony Robinson of Fulham and US Men's National Team takes home the US Soccer Male Player of the Year honors. Well done. Deserved, well deserved. Yeah, I had a chance to interview him on behalf of US Soccer and NBC. We ran the interview. Just a delight, an absolute delight to talk to. By the way, he was Fulham's Player of the Year last season.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Just so awesome to, to hear him speak and the joy on his face when he won the award. And, you know, it's, um, it's an interesting one because he, he talked about and mentioned that like now sometimes wears a captain's armband for Fulham.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Uh, one of the biggest in the world. And it's kind of like, like, when are they going to show up? They haven't had any leadership. They don't have any continuity on the field. You know, the least they can do is head it and kick it. They didn't do that against Newcastle. So you're just like, Whoa, big worry. Um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Um, that like so much of the play goes down his side and it's, it's like when you're that good and you become, you become that dominant, the, the team naturally and also tactically, they want to go down your side. They want to play down your side because they trust you. And we, you and I have talked about what the U S men's national team leadership, trust, accountability.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Like, you know, when you can start having multiple players like that, um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah. You know, the cool thing, Landon, is like, it's fun. And I know people always ask, right? But we've been getting asked since the beginning of time. When's the U.S. going to produce another world-class player or a world-class player? And when is the U.S. going to win a World Cup? When you're out and you're in the airports or you're shopping, that's what people talk to you about, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
And we always get that question. And it's funny because your natural thought is like world-class, world-class, world-class. Okay, it's got to be a number 10 or it's got to be a stringer, right? I think what we're starting to see, and I mentioned this on air, like... he may be like, I think Kristen Pulisic is in that conversation, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
We talked about Gio Reyna in terms of generational talent, but Anthony Robinson can be world-class, is starting to get himself in that conversation. And for anybody, I don't think anybody is, but maybe people who are scoffing at that, like he's doing the business week in, week out for fun. And by the way, rumors about City wanting him, rumors about Liverpool wanting him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
But by the way, if he goes to Liverpool, and plays left back every week for Liverpool, he's a world-class left back. So he's in that conversation. And as an American, as a former US men's national team player, It's awesome. It's awesome that we can have one of our players mentioned in the same breath as world-class players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
There was some back and forth in the first half, a little bit boring, a little slow to boil, and then just fireworks in the second half. And I'll be honest with you, Liverpool did everything I expected them to do because they're just a well-oiled machine going really well under slot. But United impressed me. And maybe the bar is low. It is low for United, but they impressed me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I think he does well. I think so too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Like, no problem. So I think when you look across the Premier League… It's always about players who are at those mid table clubs. And the question is, can they make the jump? If they make the jump, how will they do? He's a player for me. If Anthony Robinson makes the jump to a big six team, I think he, I think he flies. I think he soars.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Um, trivia question for you based on, on the U S soccer, uh, male player of the year, who was the last defender to win this award? And then you get bonus points if you get the year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Okay. It's our era defender on our teams. Central. Central defender. 2006 is the hint.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Wow. I mean, Gooch.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
My phone's going to go off soon when Gooch hears that name. The surprise on your face is priceless.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I don't know when that was. If that was in like the Milan days. I don't know where it was. It might have been at Standard. It might have been at Standard Liège.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
That's good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yes, LD, we are back. We are back. It's been a while. I haven't seen you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Well, I mean, look, the good news is I was reading all sorts of wild reports about his injury and how he was going to be out months, and I was thinking, this is not good. But the fact that he's recovered and playing is fantastic. So obviously scoring, taking a penalty, brilliant from Christian. Look, the coaching change, I think it's hard for a player like
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
in the sense that they rolled their sleeves up. They gave as good as they got. They had chances to win the game. They didn't crumble when the moment seemed to get too big. Some good performances. And even Ruben Almiron came out in the end and said, like, the bad news for these players is I now know they can do it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Christian Pulisic because coaching changes are one thing. If you're a middle-of-the-road guy and a coach comes in, you're like, I'm going to just work hard and I'll get my name on a team sheet. Like, he's been a star or a star in the making most everywhere he's gone, right? Like, he's either been the prodigy or up-and-coming star or actually the star. So, like...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
When a new coach comes in, there's so much pressure on you to perform and live up to that and have to like impress the coach because your reputation precedes you. So, and look, he's done that and he's lived up to it. And in fact, I've even said that at Chelsea with all the coaching changes, he kept getting the short end of the stick.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I thought his performances were fantastic and yet new coach after new coach after new coach. So yeah, it's a difficult one. I mean, I'd be curious, you know, his own thoughts. Is it like old hat at this point or is it getting frustrating?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Well, I also think, I also think, you know, as you grow and mature, right? Like that's, there's a, it's a new challenge. Like, Hey, you know, cause you know, as an older player, when a new manager comes in, the responsibility is like sit down with the gaffer, figure out like, what is it you need from me? How can I continue to convey your message to the team? And so it might be a new challenge.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Wild little step. I'm certain I played against Sergio Constanceau when he was at Porto, which is, it tells you how old I am, but I don't know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Like, you and I have been on teams where it's like, oh, boy, we just set the standard. So our training standard needs to be higher. Our match standards need to be higher because, you know what? Before this game, I wasn't sure you could do it. Now I know you can.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I think it's – in terms of the pecking order, it's slightly – I was going to say up for grabs. It's not slightly up for grabs. But I think he gets himself in the shop window week in, week out in MLS. And, again, big price tag, big fee. I think there's a ton of pressure and spotlight on him, which is great. I think that's a good thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
It's a hard question to answer because Flo, we don't know – Flo Baligan, like – I think he'll get back fit. I think he'll be just as strong. But that rust takes a little bit of time. Does he hit the ground running? Does it take him longer to find his form? I don't know. I don't know that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I think it's good. I think it's good to look for for the US men's national team. It's good to have competition for places. And the best possible thing is to have a bunch of strikers who are hungry or arrogant, who want more time because you know what, at their clubs are scoring. So why not me? That would be a good thing if he can do that this season.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Oh, yeah. You know what time it is. Mailbag time. And that means JR's favorite time of the week. Jordan, get on in here, please. What's up, guys?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Santa brought it for Christmas. Are you like a Milan fan? Are you a Pulisic fan?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
It's a dope shirt.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Champagne?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
It was.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
No, I'm sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
People from like San Diego and stuff. Jordan, what do you got for us?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah. Go, go, go. He's earned it. He's a young kid from Liverpool. He and I played together when he was a youngster at Everton. He then put in his time, put in his work at Wigan. And I think Bolton, you know, on loan when they were, they were, I think, championship or league one at that time. And then he goes to Fulham. Fulham's a brilliant football club, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
And so at this point, you don't move from Fulham to go sideways. You only move to go up. And if Liverpool or City or any of those rumors are true, you absolutely go because you deserve it. And I think he, look, I think the way they play, as you mentioned, uh, the way city play in terms of how he played, you know, cause he's playing that inverted fullback.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Now, if you watch with, uh, with Fulham, you know, we'll be, we'll, we'll pull wide and he'll go underneath. And so he understands that role, which is what the, how the big teams are playing. Um, I think he moves. I would be shocked if he doesn't move.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
The problem with Bees is he was like a, he was at one point like a world-class winger. You know, he's like, you know, you guys came up together and then he transitioned to be a brilliant left back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
But, but if you look at Anthony Robinson, he's, he is a left back. He's a left wing back. I mean, that's who he is. And he is prototypical of what you want. I would put him, I would put him as the best left back. I know it's so, it's so hard. Cause he's, you know, he's, he's, he's young ish, but nah, I would put him up at the top. You like that answer? Is that Evan? I thought that was great.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Ultimately, in two years' time, right? I do believe Amram's the right guy. I think he'll get plenty of time. In two years' time, 18 months' time, guess what? Most of these players won't be there. This team will be unrecognizable. I mean, the issue at hand, and you mentioned it, you hit the nail on the head. Against Newcastle, look, they got the performance against Liverpool.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Thanks.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Happy New Year. How was your New Year's Eve? Are you a New Year's Eve guy?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah. So often it's on the coach, unfortunately. You know, a good manager can galvanize a team. And look, there's not a perfect science. It's such a difficult question because I think everybody's at fault.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
think ownership i think coach i think players ultimately managers get fired right like managers get fired more than players get turned over more than owners sell the club and managers get fired when you know they talk about the term losing the dressing room and that's a real thing it's it's kind of a blanket statement but it's a real thing losing the dress room is basically basically you get a bunch of
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
They're a bunch of human beings who sit in meeting rooms and locker rooms and buses and hotels, and they hear the same voice, and that voice no longer excites them. It no longer jolts them. It no longer scares them. Forget excitement.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
They don't respect it. Fear and respect is what I played for, for my manager. Most of my managers I feared, and the other ones I feared and respected, and that's why. And then all of a sudden, you can see it. I'm going to guess, Landon, you've been on teams.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I've been on teams where I could see it and I'm just like, rock bottom has a trap door because I'm looking at these guys and they're soulless. Manager speaks, it walks out and I'm looking around and I'm going, and as a senior leader, you try and do your best and you hope that that's not, you're not one of them, but oh, it's ugly. And so it's the manager, unfortunately. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Against Newcastle, ball got played in the box, they didn't stop the cross, and the ball got headed. We talk about formations. You're a central defender, check your shoulder, grab a hold of someone's shirt, and head the ball. That's got nothing to do with formations and 4-3-3s. It has nothing to do with that. So you wondered all the time about...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Moyse. Good question. It's a good question that goes back to, I would say Houston, but we've got a great coach in Ben Olson, so he's not going anywhere. I think David Moyes at some point will end up in MLS. The problem is David Moyes is a brilliant football manager, right? Going back to the conversation LD and I just had at the beginning of this episode,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
There will be so many GMs and presidents and owners in the MLS. When his name comes up, they'll go, he doesn't play an expansive brand of football. We want to go younger. Listen, if you want to hire somebody to win you football matches, hire David Moyes. Honestly, he'd be a good fit, but he also, like Bruce Arena, like Greg Berhalter, he's going to need power.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
He's going to need power because there's a likelihood that when he enters your football club, He is the most brilliant, intelligent soccer mind in the entire football club. So you're going to have to give him... Oh, there's no question he is. You're going to have to give him more power as a GM, player selection, recruitment. So, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Ben, great question, Ben. Love it. I'm going to let you tackle it. I got my own thoughts on this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
who was going to step up for the Manchester United team. And they didn't give you any real hope, but on the day, very good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah, I mean, to kind of piggyback off that, it's do the dollars make sense? And love the American soccer fan. I do. I'm one of them. I see him every week. We speak to him every week. You know, so many of our listeners are the U.S. soccer fans. If you look at... Everton's a good example. I think with the TFG group, I think there's a possibility of that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I think they're certainly... I believe they're Texas-based, and I would imagine those conversations are being had. The way to do it would be most likely having a plan to every single preseason you're in America.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
But... Look, the fact of the matter is these teams get boatloads of money to go to Australia and to Asia and to different parts of Africa. Like, they do, right? So...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
So if someone drops a load of money on Everton's plate and says, hey, we want to fly to Australia and play three games, and the other option is to go to America, but it's for like half the money, in PSR, profit and sustainability era that we're in, these things matter. But the fans matter. And so do you... Do you identify one or two U.S.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
men's national team players that you think can play for Everton? And that brings more eyeballs? Possibly. But as you said, Landon, so much of that is strategic and manufactured. But to your point, ultimately... They're an American-based group, and they might have American ideas, and they want to sell the club as much in England and Europe and globally as they do in America.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
So that's a possibility. I certainly hope that that's the case.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Thanks, JR.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Me too. I'm going to take hell for this. I'm certain. But that's what the comments are for.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I'm going to get slaughtered for it. But I think, and I'm roping you in because I don't think you love it, but I don't think you hate my take. My take is college football playoffs. I have college football playoff fatigue. I said it. I said it. Hear me out. Hear me out. There's so many games. Now, it's the first year, so maybe I'll know where to find the games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I know they've all been on my TV and all that, and I've watched a bunch of them. There's so many games that the gloss has kind of come off for me. And I just look at bowls in general, right? And I watched these bowl games go away from the playoff for a second. There's nobody, any, anything outside, anything outside of the bowl playoff series. There's nobody at the games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I watched a bowl game the other day. There was nobody there. This is the culmination of your career as a player of, of your season. There was, I might get this wrong. There was a player from Louisville who didn't get paid his NIL money that he was promised in September. And he didn't go to the bowl game as like a protest. It's become a farce.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
And look, it's become professional football too, basically. And, you know, I also, I'm a traditionalist. When I look at like the Sugar Bowl, the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, they don't mean anything anymore. Like I watched, who was it that won the Rose Bowl? Uh, was it? No, I can't remember.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
So Ohio state wins the Rose bowl. And it's like, they didn't really win the Rose bowl. They just won a quarterfinal. And I'm like winning the Rose, but there's some people who literally spend their whole life saying I won the Rose bowl and they'll be cut. It's going to get lost. Um, Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I mean, look, I love college football and I probably will get reinvigorated at some point, you know, watching the semifinals or finals, but it just seems like there's a lot of games. I think I prefer four teams, but that's just me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Look, I'm just a traditionalist, but I have the foresight enough to know that college athletics is no longer college athletics.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
It's professional. It is in every way. The money's too big. They're never going back to four teams. This is only going to get bigger and better. And I'm okay with it. Like, you know, I've jumped ship. I used to hate the fact that athletes were getting paid. That's for another time, college athletes. But this, the train has left the station and it ain't coming back. So I'll get reinvigorated.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
We'll talk more about it. But I have a little bit of fatigue at the moment.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah, thank you, everybody. Always a pleasure to spend our hour or so with you. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, BW. Have a great week. You know exactly where to find us. We will see you next Tuesday on another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
We've seen Ange-Paul Stokoglou. I thought, you know, we obviously ran the interview on NBC. I thought he was out of order the way he spoke to the journalist. You know, his team is playing poorly at the minute. They're on a poor run. And, you know, my big thing was, hey, listen, Ang, if you're going to have a pop at the referee, go on and be a big man and have a pop at the referee.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
He wanted to kind of mask his words a little bit. And then the interviewer came back at him and he masked his words like, Just say it. Say it. It's no problem. But anyway, it wasn't a handball for me. But look, by letter of the law, I think, Landon, to give some clarity to this, world football is governed by IFAB, right? But each individual league has their own governing body, their own lawmakers.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
And the PGMOL in the Premier League is the governing law body. And The way that the handball rule is written is if the arm's in a natural position, and this is what I have been begging for. And my counterpart, Robbie Musto, says it all the time. You don't run with your arms tied by your side. You're athletic. You jump. You sprint. Your hands are all over the place.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
No, listen. I think the holidays end on Christmas. Like, who wants to go out for New Year's Eve? I ended up... being forced to go out on new year's eve and my plan was it went to really nice restaurant plan was to get home before the ball dropped anyway dinner went long so um I had a champagne toast at midnight and I was in the Uber at 12.03 because I was like, this is boring and dumb.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
So you have to be allowed to go into a tackle or make a movement and have your arms be in what is considered a natural position. And so... And so Spurs lose the ball playing out of the back. Bergvall sprints to the ball. Joelinton sprinting to the ball. Bergvall gets there first and toes it because he wants to try and clear it out of the way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
And, and Joelinton sees that and breaks down and gets in a, gets in a defensive position to get ready to block, you know, to, to go into a challenge and his arms down by his side. He's long and lanky and gangly his arms down by his side. The ball hits the back of his hand. It's not a handball. It's not a handball any day of the week. So, um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
There was another one in the game, too, which is, again, close proximity where Jacob Murphy smashes the ball off Livermento's hand. But he knows nothing about it. He's in a natural position. So I don't think – look, we know, and you've probably done it as a coach, there's a lot to complain about. And you mask your own team's performances by complaining about the referees. But not for me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
And they'll be like, God, look at this old legend. I'm like, I played against him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
It wasn't Ponzi.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Well, it's an interesting play because I think what Mikel Arteta is kind of saying, which I agree with, is it's a strange play. I don't know if we're going to see this again for a while. Yeah, the way that happened. We'll have to find a link to it. But basically, Jean-Pedro's going away from goal, still in the penalty area.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
He's getting surrounded by Arsenal players, so he's a clever player, right? So as the ball's rolling to him, he flicks it up, basically flicks it up off the ground onto his head and does this kind of like little juggling routine where he now wants to turn the corner and he heads it up in the air to go around the defender, which is Saliba.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
And at the same time, Saliba tries to head the ball, but he's a second late and he ends up smashing João Pedro in the head. Now, the argument is, as Jal Pedro flicks it, it barely takes the little nick off of Saliba's head. The argument, which I agree with the referee and VAR, is, Saliba didn't head the ball.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
The ball touched him, but in the action, João Pedro played the ball around Saliba, and it just happened to take a nick off of him. He didn't defend it, per se. And the force in which he headed him also gets brought into account. So I think it's a penalty. I think if the ball's on the floor, it's the same thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
If you nick it around a defender and he gets a piece of it, that doesn't necessarily mean that he's defended the ball if he takes out the player.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
No, and you make a great point. I mean, for the audience, you articulated it well. I think what you have to bear in mind when you're watching football now is it is exactly that. Defenders don't have free reign. So referees are now taking into account the force, the angle of the tackle, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Because you can get a piece of the ball and before defenders would get up from their slide and point to the ball. I got the ball, right? That's no longer the case. You've got to get a lot of the ball. in order for it to not be a foul. Like, if you get a piece of the ball and you take all of the player, it's likely a foul. It's just the way it is now.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah, I would say City. I just think the... I do think they'll possibly come good, City, because they're just one of the most talented teams in the world. But I think the reason it's the biggest surprise is... And you and I talked about this a little bit, so I'm repeating myself, but...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Had you told me at the midway point that City were neck and neck at the top of the table, but they were second or third, a couple points off, I'd say, okay, I'll take that bet. But for them to have fallen and not performed, it's mind-blowing. They've fallen so far. Now, having said that, I do think they're talented enough to make a run back half of the season, but it shocks me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah, I agree with you on Forrest. Again, would have never taken that bet that they're this high on merit because they're playing well at the midway point. Up until about 10 days ago, I would have said Chelsea. I would have said like, wow. Yeah, they fell off a bit. Wow. Yeah, Maresca, like what a job you've done. But fair play to him, but still not the biggest. Yeah, I think Forrest for me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah. No, I know that. I know that. I get it. But I say that with all honesty. I don't think Everton are going to get relegated. And I do think that Manchester City will make a run at some point and be in the conversation.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
I think, no, well, I don't think either of those things are happening, but that's not the game. What's more likely? Tottenham win a trophy, I guess. I mean, our Premier League insider, David Ornstein at NBC said emphatically that the board has 100% backed him and he's in absolutely zero danger. Like, I know that sometimes that's a kiss of death, but it didn't sound like that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah, but this… If they do it publicly. This sounded different. Like… It was… Yeah, it was… It was through back channels.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it doesn't feel great. They have one way of playing, and it's plan A and do plan A better. So, yeah. Yeah, okay.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
That's just the reality. I give you that. And I think the interesting for thing for our listeners is like, when you have, you just mentioned it there, when you have someone so dominant, who has a cheat code, you're like, you give them the ball. Right. And it's like in anything else. And I've been on these teams. It, Players are so dominant.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Even in a leadership role, there are some times where I can remember there being such strong leaders that you're like, I don't have to say anything or do anything. Like this is going to take care of himself. Boom. They get a long-term injury or they get, they get submitted. Now you turn up at the game and you're in the dressing room and no one's talking. And you're like, you know why?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Because this guy did everything for us. And it's the same thing on the pitch. I get in the trouble. My back's going, I don't know what they're. I know my mate's around the corner. I just play it to him. He'll sort it out. And by the way, he's got two people on him. I'll still give him the ball. And so when that happens, it's hard one to replace, to replace that person with a, a like for like.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
It's impossible, but it's also then you're now asking other players to take more responsibility when they're like, wait a minute, I've had to take responsibility. Let's give him the ball. You know what I mean? It's a different dynamic. They'll get it right. The Galaxy will get it right, but obviously slow start.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Funny how our producers did that back to back, but your team, mine too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
So, yeah, I'm super stoked, man. What have you been up to?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Um, yeah, it's, it's an interesting dynamic, um, when it comes to Lionel Messi and MLS and Apple TV. And I mean, it's, it's, everyone knows the story. Um, Look, I think as an organization, we did the right thing in terms of compensating our fans who bought tickets in the hopes to see Lionel Messi by allowing them to come to a game complimentary of the Houston Dynamo at some point in the season.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
So again, I think we did the right thing. That being said... Lionel Messi missed 15 games, all competitions last year. My expectation is that Lionel Messi will miss 15 games, all competition, if not more in all competitions this year. That's just the, that's,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
pink elephant in the room you know no pun intended with their pink jerseys like he's going to miss games and i don't know you know well i do know that's not that's not on the away organization when he doesn't turn up um in your city that's not a reflection of the away organization in this case the houston dynamo but
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
you know, we're certainly sensitive to our fan base and felt, you know, felt the need to try and compensate them and in the best way we could, you know, but ultimately someone recently mentioned to me that like, well, like if Erland Holland for city doesn't turn up because he's been rested for playing Tottenham, Tottenham doesn't compensate their refund. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
But, but I, you know, I get the argument.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Is Bex on the Galaxy Group chat?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Or has he opted out?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah. Well, the problem, first of all, first of all, the powers that be.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
ain't retroactively suspending leonard i know they're not i'm not no i know no my point my point my point is though that creates its own problem because there's going to be a melee of some sort in the mls this season and that's going to happen and they're all going to get suspended and they're all going to get suspended and so you can imagine lee's going to get flooded with like pictures of a week did did messi get suspended for that new nyc fc game but yeah anyway
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Oh, yes. USLNT and USMNT. A lot of people's favorite segment. One of our favorites as well. So let's hop right in with Josh Sargent. Talk to me, LD.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Well, and as I say this, our producers will frantically tell me, I think one of the games recently he scored like two goals or something on like seven touches, something crazy like return, right? And I think what the manager is trying to say is essentially like, That's 12 touches, two goals and 12 touches. But, hey, if you get 30 touches, imagine what you could do.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I think that's kind of what it is. Yeah, but it doesn't work that way. No, it doesn't. But I think the other part, I'm not, I think he sees a striker in form. This guy, clearly the manager knows what he's talking about. He sees a striker in form, and I think he's trying to get more out of him. Maybe he knows the character and makeup of Josh Sargent and knows that he can handle it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah, but Tim, say that, just say that in private then.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Why would he say that publicly? I don't get it. Maybe he had the conversation with Josh. Maybe he genuinely had the conversation with Josh. Maybe Josh effed him off. I don't know. The other part, and I say this to all younger players. I certainly say it to my daughter. Here's the thing. Don't leave anything to question. And this is actually quite good. Because if Josh reads this,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
And he's playing well. And he's, and the manager says, need to run more, need to be involved in buildup, whatever it is now. there is no gray area. And if there is go to your manager and go, I heard what you said, like, how do I implement it in your eyes? What does running more look like running deeper, running beyond vertically, getting side to side, like talk to me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
And now, now he'll have like a checklist of like one, two, and three things that I can do. Right. And I think, and I think that's helpful because what ends up happening is there's always, and you know, there's always a miscommunication between players and managers. And I don't know what he wants. And he's always on, he's always on my back. And, It's really easy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
If you're a player, ask the manager what he wants. And in this case, he didn't have to ask him. He actually said it. So I think this is a good thing. Josh is in a good vein of form. I know you don't love it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
That's a really good point. And look, it's a great time for him to be in this form. No Balogun, no Pepe, which stinks for the team and for the depth. But next man up, Josh Sargent is playing really well. And this is, again, an opportunity. Kind of get in there and look, you get into the Naps team and you score the Nations League. Now you have more of an argument.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
And you were, which is amazing, especially at that age. And you were in New York, in my hood, doing Tim Howard things. Did you? Someone said they saw you at Bang Bang Tattoo Studio. What were you doing there? I cannot confirm or deny I was there. But you might have been. No, I got a tattoo. Did you?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Not many. I'm not sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Any?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I feel like maybe, but big moment for him. Jesus, big moment for anybody to score against Real Madrid. So that's obviously, we'd love to highlight those.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah, I mean, I think the thing for me has always been like, I love seeing American players thrive abroad, but also more than anything, I read between the lines.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
playing well being a part of a team is check number one when your manager's talking about you publicly about like how great you are for the team and how how important you are for the team it's like that's a different level that takes you totally level publicly right again so that's the opposite of the start like when they go out publicly and that means they trust you because it means not going to your head because a lot of times you're like oh man i'm invincible i'm gonna start it so when they say that publicly you're like okay that's
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yep.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
But you're right. It's a great story. But with Tyler, it's no surprise, man. Jesus, I feel like every coach thinks that way of him, which means this isn't an accident. He doesn't just turn up every now and again. That's a kid who turns up every single day of training, every morning for breakfast, and is like, let's do this. And he can be counted on. That's a really special player.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Unsurprising.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
At some point we'll show it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I mean, look. He'll probably tell you, look, nine games without a goal is probably kicking the wall in this house, right? Milan just haven't been in a good way this season. Things seem off with them in terms of on the field, in the dressing room. We're obviously not there, but you can tell with some of the changes that were made and and obviously what's been going on in terms of results.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Look, you know, this as well as I do when you're playing in a team, that's a bad form. Like it's, it's hard to stand out. You know, it's, I mean, his job is to score goals defenders. It's their job to keep it out, but you've been in teams. You've been in teams that just have no vibe and no flow and it's, and it's difficult. So no, I don't, I don't put that on Christian ballistic at all. Um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Oh, you went deep, bro. That's crazy. I mean, it took a while.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
That's always, that's always a clever report is like, why, what, Managers trying to overthink things. Real quick, I want to give a shout out to Chris Richards. He's a player who I really like. He started going back to the Premier League, started 12 straight matches for Palace in that time. they've only lost two of the 12 conceded eight goals. They play in a back three.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Um, you know, he's, he's on, he's on either side, um, of that center back. So it's, he's, he's kind of found a home there, which is great under, under Oliver Glasner and palace. And, you know, it's, he was kind of in kind of out, but now again, the player really being counted. And I'm just curious as it will potch,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
You know, in Nations League, will he think that, you know, that's nailed on as well? Are you, you know, written into the starting lineup?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Totally. I'm at the point now where I'm super heavily tattooed where I tap out after like two hours. I'm like, I'm bored of this. This isn't fun anymore.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
And if you're him, you're like, who's going to play ahead of me?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah, they are.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Nothing. I think it's good for the team. We always say we judge the women's national team by a higher standard because they win. They win all the time, right? And so it's not about, you know, when you have a loss, it is magnified when you're part of the women's national team. So, look, Emma Hayes is a fantastic coach. She has won everywhere she's been.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
She's won with this team, you know, talking about the gold medal. And as you form this new group, Like, you know as well as I do, and Emma's a really good coach. She'll take that loss and use it to their advantage. Because, by the way, in order to grow as a group, you need to have adversity, right? Like, you can't just be great all the time. No one ever is, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
And so, more than anything, the quality of your team is... oftentimes measured on how you react to adversity. So adversity sounds like a really dramatic word given that they lost that game 2-1. But I think the manager will use it to their favor. And I think obviously everything will be fine because there's some incredible talent on the team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Not just the same old faces that we know that are household names, but like Ali Centenor and some of these women who are coming through really trying to make a name for themselves. The pipeline is really healthy and strong.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I guess that's the way I would say it. Yeah. It looked nasty. I mean, Liam Roberts was a Millwall goalkeeper and yeah, comes flying out. You know, you oftentimes see with goalkeepers and I've been guilty of this, like these compound errors of like, Oh, I made a really bad decision. And yeah, All right. I got an idea. I'm going to fix it by making another really bad decision.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Like, but also it's like, it lives in the psyche that every goalkeeper coach, I don't know if they do it now, but every goalkeeper coach for forever would constantly say once a week, like take everything. If you make the wrong decision, take everything. Like that was the thing. Like if you come off your line.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
And you've made a bad decision, just clatter into somebody like literally it's, it's, it's common knowledge. And so, but yeah, obviously keepers flying, like literally like a karate kick with his studs up, catches Mateta in the face.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
You know, the only thing I would say, actually, again, I referenced my career and like my daughter and she's a striker and she was, she's tough and she's strong and she'd always go into tackle with goalkeepers LD. And I said to her, you can probably appreciate this. There was a point in time where she was getting injured. And I said, if you see the goalkeeper coming, get out of the way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
And I'm telling you this. It ain't worth it. I'm looking in the eyes. I'm telling you, get out of the way. Because it's not worth it. And in that case, you're like, oh, my God. You just wish. Yes, it's the goalkeeper, Liam Roberts' fault. But you're just thinking, I wish you just protected yourself. There was nothing there for you. You know what I mean? Totally.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Really?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
The only problem is sometimes, and I get this spatial awareness, but it's also on your peripheral. There's a defender there, so he's looking at the defender. At what point did he take the snapshot of the goalkeeper? I don't know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Big JP Mateta. Be all right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
He was looking for a fight, and there was no stopping him. I've been there before. I get it. It happens. It was nasty.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah, let me say this. You saw that Anthony Gordon was just...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
frustration at the end i mean shoves he shoves the brighton defender over he ends up catching him a little bit like in the neck area there wasn't a lot in it but when you when you put your hands up above the neck you can't do it but here's what i hate and i know i know the argument i'm not dumb to the argument like it's the same governing body right the fa
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
But I hate when red cards carry over to different competitions. I'm all for him being suspended for the next FA Cup match next season or whatever. I'm all for that. And I know it's the same governing body. I get it. But when you get sent off in a World Cup, you're not going to miss Premier League games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah. I don't like it, but whatever. It's part of it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
You and a lot of people.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I hear that, bro. I'm on both sides. I see it on both sides of the fence. Yes, question's been asked. Okay. Are players hypersensitive to criticism more so now? Yes, absolutely. You wanted to get the best out of me? Give me tough love. Drive me. Criticize me. That's how I thrived. But no, I think... Players today have struggle with that based on a whole host of things. But yes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I think some managers, you know, popular managers have kind of allowed that to creep into the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Then leave, right? Look, they still have something to play for. They play Real Sociedad in Europa League on Thursday. Sticking with Ten Hag, though... I think the managers have a lot to be responsible for as well. Like so many managers who put on this brave face, they're not that behind closed doors. They're afraid to have like one-on-one conversations. and have confrontations.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Like, it's okay to disagree. Like, I think one of the greatest coaches in the world who's God's gift to coaching is Thomas Frank at Brentford. And if you watch the way he operates and he talks to his players and the way he recruits his players, like, he has an understanding that things aren't always going to be great. And he gets his arm around these players.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
like ultimately like i said i do think there's some tough love involved and if we're talking about man united i remember them saying and this is you talk about parenting which is a reason social media which is absolutely a reason one of the other things that they've taken out of certainly in england was the youth team and this is going to be based on laws and and children and and work and labor but they used to clean boots and people like what does that mean like literally you know phil neville
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
a whirlwind of a couple of weeks of traveling and all sorts of crazy stuff.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
would have to go to the first team and get Eric Cantona's boots.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
And you'd have to clean them. And every day, it wasn't the kit, man. It was filling up. So you're learning these lessons, right? And then Cantona gave you a shirt or put his arm around you and gave you a money bonus at Christmas. But, like, you learn these things. These young kids now don't have to do anything. They think they're God's gift to soccer. It says it on their social media.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
They get a really nice car and they post. You weren't allowed to do that back then. You were put in your place and you were told to earn it. Oh, you would have been destroyed.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
It's time for the Fan Connection presented by AT&T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions. The best way to grow the game of soccer in the U.S. is to keep asking questions and keep talking about the sport we all love. At AT&T, connecting changes everything. And on USLNT, our connections with you will help grow the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
We love a bit of AT&T fan connection, don't we? Yes, we do. And you know what else Landon loves it? Jordan. We always say her favorite time of the week. And we love Jordan. Get in here, Jordan. How are you? Hello, Jordan. Hello. What shirt are you wearing? You always have something crazy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Just a side note, because I want to make sure we get clarity. If any of my family members Text or call in. Do not read it live on air, but keep going.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Don't care. I don't care. I think it was. You don't care. I don't care. It's a dumb rule.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
No. So what's the evolution? It was when I started playing, pick it up. You have four seconds. Sorry, four steps. Right. And they change it to six seconds. And then now it's eight seconds. They're going to enforce it for.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
like what are they going to do are they going to count like a like a like a nba referee like i'm fine with that by the way if the referee like one two three like it's good it's so subjective and like right and by the way you know it's going to lead to to lead the managers on the sideline going one two three and they're all players too yeah of course so the whole crowd's gonna be like one and yeah
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I mean, the timing of it. I mean, big shout out to Jacob Murrell. I was watching and thinking, that's it. I'm thinking shirt off into the stands, like go crazy. It was especially because it was an equalizer as well. It's not like his team was just, I mean, that would have been a brilliant goal no matter what. I mean, a proper bicycle kick.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Which probably will happen, which is good. I mean, if it speeds it up, to be honest, I didn't read who, who, who, who made that rule? Like who brought that in?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Landon, would you say that like goalkeepers have held the balls long? They waste time on the ball. It's a joke.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah, it was IFAB, International Football Association Board. But look, ultimately, my big thing with wasting time, which I always wasted time, right? At some point, it doesn't have to be first half, but at some point, like mid-second half when the team's winning, just book the keeper, man. I'm telling you now, if I got a booking, I'm going to get the ball and I'm not getting sent off.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Don't care about the rule. Thanks, man.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
There's a fan connection.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
He meant every ounce of it, like sweet contact, let the goalkeeper, no chance. It was a, yeah, massive, massive shout out to Jacob Murrell.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
but you're you're you're going here's the thing you're going to watch the women's world cup so you will have netflix right like that's that yeah yeah and also right and also your your seven what eight nine dollar matcha latte that you got this morning in san diego Also would have paid for a lot. Would have also paid for two.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Kind of the way that things are going. It's, it's, it's a tough one. It is. I mean, I look, I, I hear what people are saying. I watch everything. And I subscribe to, I think, double the platforms you subscribe to. Because there's shows I want to watch and things I want to see on all these different ones. And they're getting us. But I mean, I think there's also good value.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
You do get it. I'm old.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah, I mean, I think that, for me... Like, I love football. It's who I am. It's my identity. I love everything about it. It's given me the greatest joys of my life.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Fair enough. Case in point. You know, I don't enjoy playing anymore. One, because it hurts and I can't. And I don't know. That bucket is empty for me. Right. So, like, I don't I don't get any joy or satisfaction of playing the game anymore. But I love being around. I love watching. I love watching my daughter play. I love being involved in soccer conversations at ownership level, at analyst level.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I love it. So, you know, look, the other side of it, I think, Jordan, which is, you know, it was a great question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
people oftentimes are like you're an athlete what do you do next and i'm like nobody ever asked a lawyer after they went to law school and they've practiced law for 15 years to go what are you going to do next and they never asked a doctor after they've performed thousands of surgeries what this is who we are right or you would never ask that question because you'd be like that's a dumb question so the same thing goes for me i've had friends but like i'm going to pivot and i'm like
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah, but why? You have your PhD through incredible life experiences in soccer. Why would you pivot to real estate? Now, some have. It's fine. But I look at them like, that doesn't make sense to me. No one else does that. So I'm going to naturally stay in my lane, which is football and soccer, because I love it. I adore it. I can't play anymore. So what's next? And yeah, I find...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
As I said, trial and error, some things in the game you like. I don't like coaching. Don't enjoy it. Never really wanted to do it. So I kind of ticked that box and said, that ain't for me. But yeah, love the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
They've got a lot of good pieces as well. I think, you know... I think your, your take on it was probably in the preseason accurate because you just don't know, you know, what are all the moves that they make the right ones. Are they going to gel? They look really, I mean, Baribo, by the way, what a player you have to have a goal scorer in this league. And he just looks bang on it, man.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Wow, your birthday's tomorrow.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Tim Howard. Shout it out loud. Shout it out loud. Oh, really? Pisces, yeah. Oh, you're Pisces, right? Amazing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I've had some people who wanted to wish me other than that, but keep going.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Ooh, I like this. Here we go. Len's so nervous.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
By the way, very few people know that on the inside we called Landon Larry, and that's just amazing. Also, by the way, DeMarcus Beasley, one of the greatest players and greatest human beings you're ever going to meet. I absolutely love him. We're doing dinner.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
You know the great thing? God bless Stu. I love that kid. The great thing about Stu is you all as a production team have to reach out to people. Stu just sent that. He sent that in. Here, I got an idea. I got an idea. Let's wish him happy birthday. As long as I get some air time. Love you, Stu. We'll always have you on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
One more? Yeah, yeah, yeah. One more.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Amazing. Wow. He's like a father figure to me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Like he, yes, he's scoring the goals, but he's also like,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Crying, right? Like Jesus. I got to spend some time with him last week in England and sat down, not just interviewed him, but sat down in his office and chatted. It was just like, God, we had so many great days. And I mean, the things that he's still doing as a manager and that you can like call on him as a friend and still get advice. He's 10 out of 10. He's amazing. Absolutely amazing. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I was in England. I, you know what, you know what I did? I went to the Tottenham Hotspur game against city. And I went with my dear friend, my good mate, Lyle Hardy, who's a legendary world famous tattoo artist in London. And, uh, Yeah. I was like, there's not many people I would like go and sit in the terraces and in the stands with. I know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
dangerous and hungry and like I'm like wow he's a really really good player but again they've got good pieces around with Sullivan on the wing um there's just some there's a good makeup of this team that feels right and and look I think when you score when you score goals like that and back-to-back games it's just not like a coin there's not a coincidence to it yeah a little bit some more sloppy in the beginning of the season but like they're they're knocking on the door often when they have the ball
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
43, pal.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Oh, I'll be 46 sometimes.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
You know what's really funny? Real quick for our audience. You know what's really funny? we're three years apart and that like, that's like normal. We're the same, basically the same age. When I was in camp with you, the first camp you have, we ever, was it my U 20 team landed or something? And it was in Chula Vista.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
And you came in cause they were like, this kid's a wonder kid and he's playing for whatever team we're going to bring him into training. And I just remember you feeling like you were a baby. Like that gap felt huge. And now you're like, Oh, it's three years.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Maybe it was then. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Congrats to her on an amazing career. Yeah, goat. I mean, and by the way, one thing you didn't mention about her stats, she kept her shorts long. She rocked those knee-length shorts all the way through. Like, such a baller. I think I marvel at, you know, the GOAT conversation, the best of all time. I marvel at it because I think there's levels, right, LD?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Like, how do you make it to be a professional? That's a level. How do you have one good season? That's a level. How do you become an all-star or champion? That's a level. When you're doing that consistently over the course of whatever it is, 20 years, that's just amazing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I don't care what sport it is, but she literally, one, she stood on the shoulders of giants, but she also put the league and the sport on her back. Massive credit to her. I can't wait for her to put her feet up in retirement because she's earned it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah, thanks, everybody. Always love spending time with you. Thank you to our presenting sponsors, VW, and our fan connection sponsor, AT&T. Have an amazing week. Look forward to seeing you all back here next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Yeah, I'm with you on the Bruce Serena hot takes, man. You just like, you look at the team and... They're so scary in the attack. Like I look at that front four and I'm like, man, goals can come from anywhere. They're playing between lines. As you said, like the wingbacks, fullbacks are getting forward. And it's just a, you know, it's just a, a reminder to everybody.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
If you give a good football manager.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
right pieces you'll get performances like forget forget formations and like style of play like stop with all that there's so many ways to win a football match and if you get a good manager the right players top quality players you're going to win games and that's what bruce arena does so hats off to san jose they look really good i was having this conversation with someone the other day and same with david moyes right and obviously we're biased because we love both of them but
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I went to be, I'm a man of the people.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Well, I sent you that because I was like, They announced the attendance, and I'm using air quotes, at 22,274. So 22,000 people. Oh, sure. If they're going to announce that, we're going to go with that for a second. But, I mean, you saw what I saw. Like, you read things online like it's cold. You know what else is cold? Buffalo.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
I was like, wow. If like, do you have an extra ticket for the city games? Like, yep, let's go. So when, yeah, dude, climb the stairs at the new stadium. I mean, Spurs stadium is awesome. Yeah. I've been actually to that place.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
You ever heard of Buffalo Bills? Let me tell you something. Like, number one. Number two, show me a football fan in the world. You can't stop them from going to their team's home opener. That's the one game, like, that they're so desperate for all season. And New England fans, who, by the way, live in that weather, are going to say it's because of the temps.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Like, I looked at, honestly, Lennon, I looked at it, and I remember MLS 1.0 because I was a product of that. And I'm there playing for the Metro Stars in the old Giant Stadium, and it looked exactly the same. To your point, you can count to 200 and see how many people in the stands. Man, New England, show up and show out because that's not great.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Oh dude, it was majestic. So like I went over, I interviewed David Moyes and Jordan Pickford for a piece on PLP and they, they, they were like, you want a private tour of the stadium? I'm like, yes, I want to. It was like literally you know, they had a group of people there with me who I, who I've known at the club and like, It was unbelievable.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
then the first home opener ever for an mls team and this happens and credit to san diego c obviously they denounced it quickly but this was really nasty it was really ugly to see yeah so i mean obviously your take on living there is such a poignant one you know i look san diego's head coach and sporting director both condemned it's a homophobic chant and slur and they condemned it um
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
Look, what I would say, anybody who knows me knows I don't put up with any of that crap. None of those things should be said. I don't like it. What I would say is my hope is, and I like that the sporting director and the head coach came out and condemned their own fans for the homophobic slur. My hope is...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
That moving forward, what happened was a group of fans got overzealous and it was the first home game and they were trying to, in their own way, albeit wrong, create this San Diego atmosphere style thing. And they got it completely and utterly wrong. And I pray moving forward that in the second home game, in the third and fourth and beyond, that that doesn't get mentioned again.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
If it does, obviously San Diego is going to have a problem and they're going to need to fix it. So let's just leave that there and hopefully it stays there.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
That's a good point. Let's move up to your team, LA Galaxy. Lost to Vancouver 2-1. How are you feeling?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Messi Skips Houston, San Jose Undefeated, FA Cup Red Cards, and USWNT First Loss Under Hayes
It was the first time, LD, that I was like, it's going to be sad leaving Goodison. Everybody's going to feel that. But I remember standing outside and then standing at the center circle and walking on the terrace. And I was like, this is actually a stadium we can be really proud of. And I thought and I think a lot of the supporters felt the same way as they've also toured the stadium.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
So a question I have for you, and I will probably never have the answer to this because they'll never answer, honestly. Do you think the owners in England, writ large, like promotion relegation? And obviously it depends on the spot you're in. But if you said, we're going to start over, and everybody's got the 92 teams in the English football, the top four tiers,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
You're going to start over and you're going to make your way to the top or you're going to make your way to the bottom. Would they want promotion relegation or would they say this is not a system that works for us?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S. Soccer for the past five years.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
ownership stake in Lincoln city and league one. And I have a very good friend, Harvey Chibara, who, um, with Clive Nates there has, um, invested a lot of money in the club and they've spoken a lot about this reform that may be coming in for people don't understand.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
There are a lot of teams in the championship league, one league two, who as this, uh, you know, I call it the Rexham effect a little bit. Everybody thinks they can buy a club and be Ipswich and go up twice in a row and be in the Premier League and Wrexham now is doing it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
And the reality is, is for every Wrexham or Ipswich, there are 10, 12, 15 others who get American owners or foreign owners or spend way more than they can. And like you said, with Pompey, Portsmouth and And others are on the verge of going out of business. And so as a whole, English soccer, football has said, OK, we need to help subsidize some of these teams so that they can't go out of business.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
But if I'm the Premier League clubs now, I'm looking at it and say, OK, these guys are coming in. And I know very intimately how teams in League 1 and League 2 are spending now and how crazy it's gotten. I mean, they're spending millions and millions of pounds on transfers for players in League 1, which has never happened in the history of the league.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
And if I'm the Premier League clubs, I'm kind of looking at this and saying, wait, I'm subsidizing this so they can just go spend carelessly, right? So I understand the idea of wanting to protect English football, but at some point you have to put the onus too on the owners and say, you can't just keep spending like a drunken sailor.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Yeah, that's a good question. I, as a fan, love it, right? Because I grew up in America watching American sports. And the biggest, to me, the most boring sport in the middle of the summer is baseball. And it's not because I think it's boring. I love baseball. I love watching baseball. It's that halfway through the season, half the teams have nothing to play for. Zero. Nothing to play for.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
And so I hate that. The best baseball season ever in the history of my life was in 2020 during COVID when they played 60 games. Because every game basically counted for three games. If you won a game, it counted for three in a normal season. And it was so exciting and so riveting. And I was glued to the television. But there's way too many games. It'll never change because there's so much revenue.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
And baseball is such a tradition in history that they'll never change the amount of games because stats matter so much. But I love the idea because every game matters. Every single game matters. Now, I'm looking at it as a fan. and not a business owner, and I'm not outlaying millions and millions or hundreds of millions of dollars, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
So if I was... And there's context, and there's nuance here. I can't be mad at MLS owners for not wanting promotion relegation. I get it. I understand it. But as a fan, as a player, one thing we haven't talked about yet is the opportunity for players. And I didn't think about that until I was coaching in San Diego. And a lot of the players, English players, would say...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
It gave us an opportunity to play at the next level because a club in the championship would never sign me as a League One player. But if we got promoted, all of a sudden I'm in the championship. And if I play well and do it, now I'm a championship player. And that changes my life. And if you go from championship to Premier League, that completely changes your life financially and otherwise.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Yeah. So let's take a quick break. I want, when we get back, let's, let's see, let's dive into how this would look in America potentially, because that's what we're really talking about. And now people have some context of what the Premier League looks like. how promotion relegation works, but let's see how this would work in America potentially. And we have lots of thoughts on that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
We'll come back with Adam, me and Tim right after this promotion and relegation talk here on unfiltered soccer with Landon and Tim presented by Volkswagen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Since 2019, Volkswagen has been on a mission to drive the future of the sport we all love, and VW is committed to making it more diverse, inclusive, and accessible for everyone.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
As a longtime friend of Volkswagen, I've seen firsthand how VW are connecting with fans and driving the sport forward. From working with them on clinics to being part of their incredible campaigns, it's clear. U.S. soccer is truly powered by the people.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Yeah, and some days, the ball just passes you by. Right here on Unfiltered Soccer, we know that no matter how much you love the beautiful game, nothing on the field is guaranteed. Thankfully, AT&T is introducing a brand-new guarantee, the AT&T Guarantee.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Whether you're in the stands, watching with friends, or just cheering from home, you can count on the AT&T Guarantee.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
AT&T. Connecting changes everything.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
In America.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Yeah, but Tim, U.S. soccer is the governing body. Like they sit on top and they have to sanction the leagues.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Go ahead, Adam.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
They want to watch the best. You know what, Adam, let me jump in real quick. It's, it's, um, in England, um, Throughout the years, those teams matter in their city regardless of what division they're in. And it doesn't fluctuate as much based on that. Like if, knock on wood, Lincoln City went down to League 2, they'd still probably have the same amount of fans, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
And in America, we don't understand the concept of not being in the top league. So continue, sorry. That's a foreign concept to us.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
And Adam, can you, just to start, just explain for, you know, most people understand what promotion relegation is, but just as a general statement, what it is in England, Europe, the rest of the world and how it works.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
It ain't happening.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
No, but look, Adam, look, the question is, will the league at some point find a creative way to tackle this, to make the games more exciting at the end of the year, right? Or throughout the year. So that's, I mean, when we turn on the Premier League here in America, and it's April 17th, and Ipswich are playing Everton, people are like, whoa, there's a lot at stake here, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
And they're 15th and 18th in the table. And people are like, oh my God, I can feel it in the state. And by the way, the performance of the players and the crowd, it all matches that. And that's what's riveting about the Premier League versus watching the Pittsburgh Pirates play the Cincinnati Reds in August, right? And so is there a creative way? I know in Mexico years ago,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
And I think they put a kibosh on this. But they used to do it, I think, over a three-year period. So you would have an average league position over three years. And if you were at the bottom after those three years, you would get relegated. So it gave you a little cushion. If you had one bad season, it didn't destroy you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
The other idea that people have talked about, I'm curious what you guys think about this is, could you, if MLS is now in 29, 30 top American cities, could you add the Phoenix's, the Vegas's, the Memphis's, San Antonio's, et cetera, of the world and make an MLS too? And have it within your system, just within MLS. So you have 40 teams now and 20 are in the top and 20 are in the bottom.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
And do you create it within yours? Will USL do it at some point, right? And just say, you know, forget about MLS and how that works. We're just going to do it on our own. Do you think those, or is there a creative, I guess, is there a creative solution? Because the way it is now, it's not going to happen, right? But is there a creative solution to bring it into our sport here?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
You're going to get people real mad now. We might have to bring you on a, we're going to get into that with you. Right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
the season interesting and the way sport and I actually never thought about this sports in our country are interesting is because you have a playoff system, right? Which you don't have asthma you do in, in some format in other places in the world, but not, not to crown a champion the way we do in America with our playoffs. And so even if,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Last year, the San Jose Earthquakes were way out of the playoffs. They're playing LA Galaxy at the end. There is meaning in the game for the Galaxy still because of the playoff push. Could that fit in still with promotion relegation, or would that have to go away? I'm just thinking about it as we're talking about it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
No, zero chance.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
well well to adam's point though this is america right like somebody could start a league and people have tried nisa and bringing back nasl yeah you could you can start your own league yep and and i mean you got to build it from scratch and credit to mls and don garber who built it from nothing and made it what it is today right so you you do have that opportunity if you want to go there and
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Obviously, you need people with many, many billions of dollars. But Adam, question for you. How do people in England view playoffs here? And is that something that you think would ever trickle into the Premier League at any point?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Can you imagine?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
They do that in Germany, yeah. That's actually quite entertaining. Yeah, it is entertaining.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Mm-hmm.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Yeah. We're going to stop torturing Adam. Um, I want to leave you guys with this. Just, I just thought this is so interesting. Okay. So this was a quote from Don Garver on, uh, when asked about if promotion relegation could exist. He said, I'm going to leave you with two quotes. First is Don Garber. This is the never say never thing, Garber said. I've been pretty consistent on that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
What have you been up to this week? Says nobody ever. Golfing. Oh, God, you golf so much. I know. I've got this league play match today. So you play. Don't laugh, dude. So you play. It's the only competition I have in my life anymore. You play individually against someone, then you have a teammate, and you as your teammate play against this other team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
We shouldn't walk away from having the courage to evolve over time. And as the league continues to grow and evolve and our fan base and the market continue to grow and evolve, I don't see any reason why we wouldn't be thinking about new structures. I don't see how that works today, but I can't look far enough in the future to say never. Okay, so interesting.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Then Nashville SC CEO Ian Ayer was asked about if MLS owners would want promotion and relegation. And he said MLS owners voting for promotion and relegation would be like turkeys voting for Thanksgiving.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
There you have it, right? So the owners very clearly, but Don sees the big picture and says, you know what? You never know. Let's be open to it. And maybe it's not exact promotion relegation the way we're thinking of it now, but you're only limited by your creativity, right? So...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Many billions.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
I always ask that, but there's always more, Adam. Yeah. There's always more. There's always more. Yeah. All right, guys, we are going to take a break. Adam, thank you so much. We will dive into mailbag questions that you guys submitted about promotion relegation. Adam, I think we're going to have to have you back on once we have a lot of feedback from our fans. But we appreciate you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
You were brilliant.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
We'll be right back with the AT&T Fan Connection here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Hello, JR.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Hey, it was great. Awesome. Great. We're going to have great questions after this. Yeah, yeah, we are. This lights a fire.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Great question. God, I need time to think about that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Mm-hmm.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
I struggle with this because I believe in a free and open market in America, and I love that. And so I love that concept that you can have a Starbucks across the street from a Philz coffee across the street from a Blue Bottle coffee, you know, and everybody just, you know, you either survive or you don't. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
My problem is that that system, and we'll get into this in another episode, has destroyed youth soccer in our country. So I know we're not talking about youth soccer today, but if it was a free-for-all and there was... MLS and USL and NISA and NASL and some other one that, and does it dilute soccer as a general statement that we all love and are trying to grow? I don't know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
So I'm, I'm not trying to sit on the fence here, but I think ideally everybody in the U S soccer landscape could come together and do what's I'm an idealist. I know do what's best for the sport. I know that probably will never happen, but that would be my goal.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Sorry to jump in. I never even thought of it. Do teams purposely do that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
I never even thought of that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
It's actually not, you know, it's risky. Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
That's a good question. Good question. I mean, yeah, I could see teams. With ownership, you get a vast spectrum of people who... really care about winning. And there's people who's like, I could care less. My valuation's going up. I'm trying to break even or make some cash. You could absolutely see some people saying, let's just tow this line for sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
From the championship as a result of that championship trophies, baby count for a lot.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
But then what's the incentive to be in the first, let's call it MLS1 versus ML? What would be the incentive? I don't know if there's prestige incentives or whatever, but what's the incentive if there's no financial? What are you getting?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
You're right. So I'm just thinking if it was the Premier League and the Championship, I mean, there's obviously no opportunity to be in the Champions League. You can't win the league. So maybe there's ways you can create it. It's an interesting idea. Maybe you just make that gap much smaller in the financial differences between the leagues so that it's not so stark. Interesting idea.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
All right, JR. Thank you very much. All right, guys. That was certainly interesting, Tim. I enjoyed that. Did you? Yeah, it was good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Yeah, that was awesome. Adam was really good. And I think you guys will probably have lots of questions. We don't have the answers, but a really good topic and one that will be continually discussed here and elsewhere. Thanks, you guys. Thanks for being here. Remember to subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Follow the show all across our social media platforms at Unfiltered Soccer for lots of bonus content.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
It was great.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
And Leeds. And Leeds is another example.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
We're going to get into the cons as well, but that is certainly one of the pros of promotion relegation. Nottingham Forest or Ipswich or teams like this that at one time were in the Premier League and then fell out, but now there's always the opportunity. I like that you said dream, like you can dream, right? And Americans love to dream, so we understand that. And there's...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
I think the differences are just to start is when major league soccer was started, it was very, I would say almost likely that teams or the league was going to fail and just go up in flames. Like previous iterations of professional soccer in America had, had done the NASL famously. amongst many others. And so the league, I think to protect itself said, we absolutely have to just survive to start.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
And so the idea of an owner losing 10 or $15 million a year, and then getting relegated to at that time, what was called the A-League is now called USL, was a non-starter. That would just never happen. And in England and other parts of the world, these clubs have been around for centuries, in some cases, or a century plus.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
So they didn't, they started with nothing basically, and they could just work their way through the system up and down. And it's, you know, there are, there are vast differences that we'll get into, but, um, Tim, I'm curious why actually you're against it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
So we're playing San Diego Country Club today. This is a big match here at our home course.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
You were just talking about how cold it is. I said to my wife this morning, I'm like, It's actually warm today. I think it was 58 degrees when I walked outside. I hate you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
All right guys. Reminder as always follow us on social media Unfiltered Soccer. Make sure to subscribe to the show on YouTube. Follow on Apple Podcasts and Spotify if you like what we're doing or if you don't just leave a comment. We like it. We like reading the bad ones. Timmy loves the banter. You can also email us at feedback at unfilteredsoccer.com. What do we got today, Tim?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Promotion and Relegation with Adam Crafton
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
And we're going to get into some of the harder questions and what's going on, but how can we be excited about this team as we move forward?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
Is your priority now for the Gold Cup evaluating, or we have to win, win, win this Gold Cup? Because on the back of Nations League, it's not successful. Now, do you feel like, shoot, we need to win? Or are you seeing near future, but also seeing the big picture?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
I want a big picture. Let's assume every player is healthy and you're in, let's take you ahead to the World Cup and it's the first game and it's halftime. You're down a goal to whoever and you need a leader or a couple leaders to step up and get a message that you're feeling through to the group on the field. Right now, who are those players?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
And I know it will change potentially over time, but even maybe right now. You need a message and you need the team to turn right now. Who is it that you can count on to do that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
He finally looked handsome for once.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
That's what you're used to in Argentina, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
It's been fun. It's going to be fun to watch him grow and see how he continues to do. Okay, I want to just a couple more and thank you for being so gracious with your time. We just want to do a couple of fun ones because we certainly American fans are still getting to know you. And so they want to know just your perspective on big picture global football.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
So you were part of a lot of big rivalries and then you grew up in Argentina. So from your perspective, biggest rivalry of these three Spurs, Arsenal, Espanyol, Barcelona, Boca River. I think it's easy for you, huh?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
I don't think American fans understand that game or that rivalry. I mean, Spurs-Arsenal, but that game is crazy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
You mean you'll be a fan of another club, but then you pick one of... You can be fans of, I don't know... Yes, exactly.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
At any time during your life... This is a good one. In any Argentinian, let's say any, just to make it interesting, any Argentinian World Cup squad from 78 through today, could Tim and or me have made the roster on any of them? You can be honest. You won't hurt our feelings.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
But maybe as the third. For me? He can carry the water bottles.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
We're getting this on camera, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
Let's put him aside. After him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
Everyone says that about him. Special.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
All right, well, last thing. Thank you, first of all. I think on behalf of everybody, all American soccer fans, it's great now to get to know you a little bit better, get to understand your thinking. We could do this for three hours, but you have things to do. We're very grateful. We are trying to find optimism.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
right and you've spoken to it and and there's been some disappointments along the way but we're all hoping as fans of of soccer football in this country that this happens now but for sure for sure players staff federation fans of course you are part of the family too because yeah
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
Thank you. Thank you very much. That was a lot. Very grateful to Mauricio Pochettino for taking the time. And my takeaway, Tim, I mean, I have a lot, but he gets it. He sees what's going on, and he's obviously going to be careful about how he's speaking. He used the word prioritize a lot. He said make this a priority.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
And my biggest takeaway, I think, overall, and there's some other smaller ones, is He came from Argentina. He grew up in Argentina. The idea of a player not wanting to play for their national team must blow his mind. He must be like, this is crazy. You don't want to come play for your national team? Because he knows what that means to the country. So that's my overall biggest takeaway.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
I believe him now. I said this to you before, last week maybe, but... I do believe him now that he's saying, all right, I'm not doing away with these players. These are good, talented players. These players who are declining to come in, whatever. But he is saying, if someone else takes the job, and the way you say it is great. Well, he said it too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
Get the opportunity in this camp to come into the next camp. And in that camp, the opportunity to come into the next. And that's how it is in Argentina. He said it with big players. They're just trying to get into the next camp.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
And some of the American guys this summer are thinking, some of our guys are thinking, I'm thinking about the World Cup. And he's like, hey, hold on a sec. There's no guarantee you're going to the World Cup. And so for other guys coming into camp this summer in the Gold Cup, this is a huge opportunity. And in past iterations with past coaches, guys probably would have been like, I got no chance.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
I know I'm part of the B team and all that. But these guys have a chance.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
He also said, before we get out of here, he said, we have to win the Gold Cup. So her fans were discouraged and thinking, oh, I'm not even going to pay attention to the Gold Cup. Now I'm like, OK, I want to watch now. I want to see what that looks like through his lens, who he plays, how he plays them, et cetera.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
All right, amazing. Thanks again to Mauricio Pochettino. I'm hopeful that we will get him on the show again before the World Cup. This was a very successful trip. As always, thanks to all you guys for supporting us. It's been amazing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
Yeah, because Argentina, you were probably five or six years old when the World Cup happened. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, so what is that? we didn't get to experience it. You know, we wanted to play on our homes. Yeah, so what is that about? How do you think that's going to translate?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
We'll be there in one minute. As always, guys, follow us at Unfiltered Soccer on all the social media. Follow on Apple, podcast, Spotify, anywhere you get your podcast. Subscribe, like on YouTube. As always, you can email us at unfilteredfeedback at unfilteredsoccer.com. And without further ado. Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim presented by Volkswagen.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
The previous manager here, Greg Berhalter, said we want to change the way the world thinks about soccer in America and thinks about the U.S. How does the rest of because you are Argentinian, you lived in London for a long time, you coached in Spain. How does the rest of the world now view us today? Right. And I know it's changed over time. How would you describe that?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
He was proud of his job.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
Yeah, that's so good.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
So let's just dig in a little bit. So I'm not comparing Lionel Messi to Christian Pulisic. But in America, our fans feel the same level of passion for the way he plays. He plays at a big club. He's had an amazing year at Milan. You've already spoken publicly about Christian not coming to the Gold Cup and what that was about.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
As a staff and as a coach, when your best player decides not to go, how do you then transition to, okay, we have to move on. There's nothing you can do now. How are you going to handle that internally with the team? How are you going to position the team moving forward through the Gold Cup so that you can still be successful?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
Because obviously now one door closes, another door opens for someone else to come in. And I'm curious how you're processing that and how you're going to move forward.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
The Mauricio Pochettino Interview
Good. So you've had some time now with the team, a few different camps, a long January camp, some shorter camps. So our first question is because we're kind of old and get cynical and grumpy sometimes, but what can fans be excited about in the next year leading up to the World Cup?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
God bless David Beckham for being able to turn around a team full of suits.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And by the way, cup final suit are amazing. You know, I've been to a few cup finals and I remember that was part of the, like winning the semifinal was like amazing. We're in a cup final. Also, what color our suit's going to be? What's the color of the tie? Like it's, I still have my cup final suits hanging in my closet. It's crazy.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I don't like to see people get fired. I don't. I think these are men and women just doing exactly what we're trying to do, become great. And it's tough to see people lose their jobs. Flip side to that is, as you mentioned, the landscape of soccer in America has changed.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
There are better coaching candidates and ownership groups who do care and who do listen to the pulse of the team, whether that be commercially, from a fan standpoint, from the players. Obviously, you hope that these are all very calculated decisions.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
You know, it's crazy to think though, that like nearly a third of the league has had coaching vacancies, you know, either, you know, back into the season or the off season. It's, it's more than I've ever seen. I think it also comes down to the fact that, and you've mentioned it a little bit back in the first iteration of MLS, there just wasn't a lot of good managers out there, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
There just wasn't like the good managers, you knew who they were and that, and that was it. Um, but the fact of the matter is I look at a guy like Robin Frazier, who I played under for six months in Colorado. Um, he's a, he's a fantastic manager. The fact that he doesn't have a job currently, I mean, some of the work he did with Colorado got cut short too quickly. Um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
but he would be an absolute diamond for one of these teams to pick up. So hopefully he's getting a look in as well.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
What's going on in the city is bad, man. It's gone from bad to worse as well. Hats off to Liverpool. For sure. The way that they're playing under a transition of manager from Klopp to slot and leading the league and doing it in the fashion they are. Hats off to Liverpool. It's fantastic. But again, the bigger or as big of a story is the capitulation of Manchester City. We're seeing it...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I showed you my plate and I had like zero greens on it, which is unusual for me. I just forgot my greens.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
In a real scary way take it so like we're seeing body language that we've never seen from these players By the way, this is a team who always overcome Nearly everything like like they have a points deficit. No problem. They'll go on a 14 game unbeaten run like They are losing games That you just expect them to win or expect them to show a better account of themselves.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I mean, like Pep Guardiola, you know, he had the other day the scratches on his head and a cut nose and it was bleeding. And he made an uncomfortable joke about self-harm. And we know self-harm is nothing to joke about and mental illness. And he since has walked that back as has the club. But it speaks to a bigger question. moment.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Like we've, we've never seen that from him, you know, and I watch him every week and he always puts his head in his hands and he scratched his head, but this was like physical harms, you know, like it's scary. It's anger. Um, and I, and I just, I just look at, I just look at city and think like, what is going to come of this team?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Is it? It is. It is. It's my day to go wild. And I went wild on the gravy and the macaroni and cheese and turkey and ham.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
You know, you, you think they were, they, they, they in midweek in, in the champions league, three, three draw to fine or they were booed off at full time. And by the way, it was a draw that felt like a loss, but shame on you city fans, by the way, for booing. Because I know for a fact, I've watched European nights at city and there's been a lot of light blue seats empty.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
So I don't think you have the right to boo a team who's given you the success it's given you. And yet sometimes on European nights, you don't show up because you know what? it's not really that good of a team and we're just expected to get to the next round. So I'm not buying, I'm not buying those booze, but the fact of the matter is this feels like big trouble for city.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Yeah, I think under Ruben Emmerim, it's... I think as a player on the inside, you oftentimes talk about processes and information getting taken on board and muscle memory. These wins, no matter what team they're against, they're important in the buildup because as a new manager takes over, he's pumping these ideas into this team, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
He's trying to strip away what the last manager brought in and trying to implement his ideas. And there are growing pains with that. And what makes the growing pains easier to handle is when, you win games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And I know that sounds simplistic, but this team, this Man United team will then go back on the training ground next week and go, yeah, Gaffer told me to make this run and I did it and I got the cross away and we scored from it. It makes you feel good. Does it make you feel perfect?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
No, but it lets you know, because what ends up happening is if you don't win those games, then all of a sudden you're like- The doubt creeps in. There's so much doubt because football players are so insecure and so temperamental that they need that security, they need that confidence. So, you know, Amram is building and these are huge, huge building blocks.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Probably, which is crazy. So like, you know, Ruud is someone who I consider a friend. I've enjoyed watching. I played with him. He's brilliant. Watching his, you know, managerial career at PSV and certainly at United. And he got those four games after Ten Hag was sacked as the interim manager.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And the crazy thing about, we just talked about this with MLS owners and kind of being emotional and knee jerky with some of their decisions. This is the opposite. I don't think Rude, and again, I think he deserves an opportunity because I think he's a good enough manager, but he got this Leicester job because of the four or five games that he managed Man United.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I don't sit here and say, even with his CV, resume, and coaching with PSV and others, he doesn't get this Leicester City job if he doesn't manage those four games, five games for Manchester United. So when you look at the the Leicester City ownership group, they're thinking, we're going to give this guy a job based on that performance. So it works both ways.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I'm excited to see him back in the Premier League for sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
True.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
All right, LD, let's jump into USLNT on USMNT. PSV's club colors are red and white, but they might actually be red, white, and blue.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Welcome everybody to Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has been a long supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S. Soccer for the past five years. So thank you very much to them. LD, look at you. Look at us.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Can I start a game now? Look, I love what he's doing. I love what Ricardo Pepe's doing. I think the fact that he continues to say he wants to play, he hates the moniker Super Stub, his head is on right. He's saying the right things, he's being bold and brash, and then he's going and handling his business. And look, people, I live this, and I know you live this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
People can question this for as long as we're on air. American soccer players get the short end of the stick in Europe. End of story. It is. If he played for a South American country or a European country and he's banging in goals for his team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
He's starting. I don't know what to tell you. I'm sorry, people. That's how it works. And so, you know, the mindset is what I love. You have to have this mindset that I'm going to earn it every day. And he's doing that. So great for him. Also great for the U.S. Men's National Team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
You want players who are informed, by the way, constantly informed, not like informed for a couple of months, constantly informed over the course of a season and an international calendar. So well played to him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Definitely. Definitely. I think, and I think, well, what we already know is how heavily Milan rely on him, you know, and I think that's a good thing to have that sort of pressure because it's easy to perform when, when you aren't the main guy and it's, it's much more difficult when you're expected to score, you're expected to perform. And we expect that from him on the international team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
But the fact that a, a, a world powerhouse, a European powerhouse like AC Milan feels that way about him too. And he continues to deliver hats off to him. Well done.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
It's funny. I cast my mind back to that game when I saw the rundown and Memphis Depay scored, Daley Blinn scored for them, Denzel Dumfries. I mean, talented, talented players. But I remember thinking on the day like, This game was somewhat delicately balanced. We gave up the early goal, but we're playing tough, which is what you need to do, as you know, in a World Cup for the US.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And then it was just like that, those fine margins, LD, the technical ability of the Dutch. And I remember thinking, this is the difference. This is the difference when it comes to the US team overall versus a European team or a South American team that are just like... littered with good, talented players where it's that one touch, that final pass, whatever it was.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I mean, look, overall as a team, I wouldn't say that we're much further ahead than that team, given the step back that we took in Copa America, right? Because we're on a different coach. What I would say is, you know, when I look at McKinney and Adams and Moussa,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
That part, those partnerships, that development of that midfield is a few years older, which can only benefit the understanding and the knowledge of how they play together.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I would expect, look, my expectations is that they would play together in some way, shape, or form. That gets a check from me. We know Pulisic and Weah have continued to do the business over the course of- And they're in better form now. They're in better form. both on the club side as well. They seem to be settled. So that for me is again, a big check Mark.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And then, you know, in goal, you know, thoughts are, I don't know if we're better off. I mean, I think you mentioned something to me where you didn't think so. I mean, we're, I think we're probably in the same position.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Terrible.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
We used to have, our logo used to be a taxi.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Yeah, center back's going to be an issue. I think until, and this is really hard for the U.S. to develop, but like a center back who wants to be, you know, when you look at the best center backs in the world, which is what world football is asking, you have to open up and be expansive and know how to play.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
If you guys can look up the old MLS logos. It was a taxi? One of them was a taxi. Stop it. Absolutely. I mean, listen, there's still people in New York that will have like an old Mitchell Stars jersey. And I'm like, you know, you suffered with me. You know. That's so good. It's amazing. Yeah. Good times.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
But you also have to dig in and grind and be tough as nails and be towering in your headers and tough in the tackle. And I can think of a bunch of players in the Premier League that I watch every weekend. And I'm like, okay, they have both of those. And until the U.S. has an ability to develop a player at that level, it's still going to be a struggle to find the right partnership.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Yeah, talk about Gio.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I mean, Gio's special. Gio Reyna is... I think the frustrating thing is it's hard. Look, from everything you're saying, you know, you and I balanced our careers differently, right? But we both had success. Balancing your career is hard, right? Do you go on loan? Do you take the money instead? And there is no real right answer. I think the frustrating part for me is, I mean, gee, we...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Um, yeah, look, I think, I think the game played how Red Bull probably wanted to play, you know, it was a little bit scrappy. Reyes scores in the 47th minute. Good time to score. I mean, it's never a bad time, but there's some good time to score. It kind of gave Red Bull the impetus to like go on and have something to hold on to. Um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Case in point, I just talked about the center backs, right? We don't produce Landon Donovan's and Clint Dempsey's and these guys every day. I'm talking, you know, and others special and Claudio Reina, his dad was a special player as well. US doesn't have a luxury like Brazil. If you, if you miss on one, so what? There's another one coming pipeline.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And by the way, the guy who's 19, you better hurry up and have your success because by the time you're 23, another Brazilian kid's going to take your spot. We don't have that luxury. So when you get a player, Like a Kristen Pulisic or a Timothy Weah. Gio Reyna is special, man. He's special. He's got... He's got magic in his boots.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
He has, he has a toughness and a doggedness about him that, that not every us player has, you know, he's a physically very gifted and he's nasty. He's got that nasty streak. He's got that dog in him that I love. And, and because of that, I want to see him play more. Like it's a little bit selfish. Like I want to, I want to see him play more.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
But again, I said, it's so, so very difficult to manage those elements of your career. And it kind of ebbs and flows. I, you know, my thought process would, would be between now and the world cup. Um, I think that we'll get better for him. I think that, you know, that he, that, you know, either he moves on or plays more at Dortmund because he is, he is grade a talent.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Okay, it's time for Mailbag LD. It's our favorite segment, I think, of the week. And it's definitely our producer Jordan's favorite segment because she gets to have airtime and take all of the glory.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
You guys are so mean to me. Wait, where's your unfiltered soccer swag? Did you not get any?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
No, and I don't want to talk about it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
It's in the mail. It's in the mail. Just wait for it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
What's up? How about some questions? Can we start with that? All right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Wait, wait. Tell me you have some hard-hitting questions for us this week.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I do, but I would like to start with a quick clarification, if you guys don't mind. Okay. Kata on YouTube asks, Landon, what's the hat in the glass case behind you?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Yeah, look, I love, you know, when we look at the other side of it, which we'll talk about, you know, the Galaxy has always been, and rightfully so, the Glitz and the Glamour team of MLS, which I love, and they've been brilliant. And Red Bull right now are just, like, feisty and scrappy and...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
It's really special. You know what's crazy about that? Which you're the only one who got that, which is amazing. The caps, that's where the term comes from. Not games, play, caps. Because even when you and I were at Everton together and our England national team players would come back from England duty and they would physically get one of those caps in the mail. They would give them a cap?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
So they would come into the lunchroom and our manager or director of ops would come in and hand... the players, the cap. So like Phil Jagielka or whomever we play with, if they had 50 international caps, they physically have 50 hats, which is, I think, amazing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I kept a clean sheet that game against Argentina and Messi played.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
All right. How about a little talk about the LA Galaxy since you guys were talking about them earlier. So Mario on YouTube said there are rumors of the LA Galaxy getting Lewandowski next season. So the last couple of seasons, LA has really switched things around by going after young players in their prime. Do you think they should go for a player like Pepe instead?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
LA has not had a high caliber US men's national team player since some guy named Landon Donovan retired. And I think we need that representation in the biggest soccer city in the world. Who asked that? Mario on YouTube.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Yeah. I mean, unsurprising that LA galaxy are linked to a global superstar. Um, cause that's just what they do, which is what top teams do. It's true. Um, the, the peppy argument is interesting cause for me and we both are in, uh, um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
some pretty big mls circles i do think there's a lot of value and i've said this for a while in building your team your current team around a current mexican national team player and u.s national team player and i know that's going to cost and there's balance in terms of how much that costs but if you think about the landscape of the league if you were able to get um a current us player and a current mexican player and putting them putting them on the same team and building around them
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I think that contrast, you know, there's always a team in American sports when it comes to playoffs that you're like, they shouldn't be here. You talked about it in one of our last episodes, like just get in. Once you get in, now the gloves are off and like, and, and you catch, you catch fire. And to be in that dress room, you, you,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I think that's pretty special. So anyway, we're not there yet, but Pepe would be a great shot.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Okay, who else do we have? Evan on YouTube wants to know, who are the top three players you guys have played with on a club level? One for each general position, defense, midfield, and striker.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Sorry, Everton fans. So defensively, Rio Ferdinand. I mean, Rio Ferdinand was one of the greatest defenders in the world. Midfield... I think when he first came as a midfielder, so Ronaldo. Oh, geez. And then up top, Wayne Rooney. I think we could just drop the mic.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
So it was Rio Fernandes in the back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
We did. We did. You don't make the cut.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
All right. How about one more? Go on. Can you guys do one more?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
We can do as many as you like. We love a mailbag.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
All right. So you want me to bring the smoke, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Bring the smoke. All of it. We want our listeners to bring the smoke, too. I think you got something for us.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
All right. Well, I can't put off asking a question like this any longer. So it's from Ben on YouTube. Ben says, Landon and Tim— Why do you guys hate on Jurgen Klinsmann so much? From an outside perspective, he overachieved in the World Cup in 2014. What is your reasoning on how he hurt the U.S. men's national team?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Ben, it's a great question. It's a great question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Good question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And I think you started by saying from the outside. So yes, from the outside, Juergen Klinsmann puts on a brilliant, brilliant show. And I will correct you, Ben. I think you probably are a follower of the US Men's National Team and know your stuff. I would correct you in saying that there was overachievement, but it wasn't by the manager.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
You get on these runs as the underdog team in the playoffs, and you don't know where the moment's coming from, but you know it's coming. It might be a scrappy goal, a header. It could be against the run of play, but you have this confidence in your group that you're going to get it done. Yeah, you're just not going to lose.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
The overachievement was by the core group of players who drove that team to have success in spite of the manager.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Very true. Very, very true. Great questions. All right. Good questions. Is that it? That's it for this week. Okay. Well, thank you. We appreciate it. And the swag is coming. Unfiltered soccer hoodies, hats.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Well, just remind people where they can submit these questions so that I can pass them along to you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
YouTube, social media.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Send me like a carrier pigeon, smoke signal, whatever.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Send LD a text. I'll put his, I'll put his number.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Good times. Good times.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
MLS.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I've got a lot of thoughts on this and I watched, I watched nearly all of the rivalries this weekend. Um, I watched the Iron Bowl, Alabama and Auburn. My daughter, as I tell everybody I see, she's going to play soccer at the University of Tennessee next year, go Vols. They whooped up on Vanderbilt. I think there was... Was it Iowa, Nebraska?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
By the way, there was a punch thrown in that game. This year's rivalry games were rivalries. Texas A&M, Texas. There was... I mean, this is what epitomizes college football at Thanksgiving time. And look, it's hard for me to say, like, don't condone people getting hurt. It's the most violent sport in the world, right? People get hurt.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Obviously, the afters and police officers and players and coaches, you know, getting injured is obviously not a good thing. Would never condone that. But what I... But what I do like about the rivalry is this flag planning thing, it's astroturf. So they actually couldn't physically plant the flag in the ground.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And for everybody who's listening, who doesn't know, obviously you have these big, huge school flags and, you know, in the soft ground of the grass, you can like take the, you know, plant it in there like a warrior and kind of celebrate. And you can imagine people don't like that too much when you do it, you know, away from home. And so it's, Michigan, Ohio State is one of the biggest rivalries.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Is that the horseshoes you mentioned?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And Michigan had, you know, had, had their way and they shouldn't have won the game and they won and they, and they danced and they celebrated, which like I'm kind of okay with, honestly, like, like you, here's why I'm not okay with like, with, with all the shithousery that goes on, but like people have to understand as players, particularly away from home, we get, We get abused.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
So it's really easy for people like turn the other cheek, walk away, hang on a minute. You're getting abused as an opposing player, particularly in a rivalry, in a Derby game. And so like, I'm okay with like finally being able to exhale and be like, you know, you gave it to me all game. Well, hang on a second. I'm about to give it back to you. The issue is if you're Ohio State, two things.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
You showed a lot of energy after the game, a lot of energy coming in to defend your home field. Like you, it's probably, you know, you've heard me say this and you've heard coach say, you might want to put a little bit more energy into the game.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Don't get mad. But that being said, I don't mind it because you don't want anyone celebrating on your home field. The one thing I thought right before the chaos ensued, because I saw Michigan and I just thought to myself, you know what I would have done if I was a coach? I got my team back out of the locker room and I said, stand there, don't do anything. Stand there and watch this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Because by the way, this rivalry is as old as time and we're going to have to go to the big house next year and we'll get ours back. But I want this to literally rot inside your soul that they've danced on the O at the horseshoe. And then I would have used that to our advantage, but he let the dogs loose and it was chaos, man. I mean, but like rivalry week clearly is back.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Let me jump in and say this. It's to piggyback off that. Things in sports, particularly rivalries, for all the reasons you mentioned, have gotten nicey-nicey, right? And here's what I hate. Let me tell you what I hate. So the greatest show of respect started with soccer. You do battle. You crunch the other player. You do that. And then you know what?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
You take off this sweaty, bloody shirt and you give it to the opposition player who just kicked your butt and you kicked his. You shake hands. You look each other in the eye and you walk off the field with their shirt. That's it. That's bled into other sports, which is cool. Here's the thing I have a problem with. I watch NFL players and teams who stink, who are like one in 11.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And they're at home, and they just got blown out again. And you know what they do? They take their shirt off. They sign it to each other. They take a picture for Instagram. And I'm like, yo, there was just like 70,000 well-paying people here that watched you play.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And you stink. And you're hanging out with your buddy after the game, exchanging jerseys. That's not what this was meant to be. This was meant to be an exchange of jerseys through competitors and going inside. So this whole concept of like... After the game, everyone's friends and no, you're not. And so like, I don't mind the whole rivalry.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Like it boiled over probably a little bit too much, but I tell you what, I was at the gym. I was watching the game and it ended up to my workout. Cause I went right over to the TV and I stood there for about 10 minutes and I, and I, and I watched it. So yeah, pretty cool.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Yeah, thanks, everybody. And thank you, most importantly, to our presenting sponsor, VW. Have a great week. We'll be back next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Proudly rocking it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Yeah, no, that loyalty is important. And I think for those of you who have never experienced adrenaline at that level, that's what's carried him. To be able to play through an injury like that, to be able to brush that aside, adrenaline is one of the craziest things ever, ever, ever.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
It was amazing. Weather was good. Food was good. Kids are all well. I injured myself. We played backyard football.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Yeah, that's a good question. And I will say from experience, I've played in some amazing places. And sometimes... dimensions of the field are also based on sight lines. Like some fields feel bigger and smaller. The field in LA is massive. Like I always remember standing- And it plays big. It plays big.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I remember even my last couple of seasons in MLS, having been in Europe and we've, you and I have been to world cups together. And I just remember like standing in the 18 year old bus thinking, how big is it? Like it's massive and the sight lines open up. It's beautiful to play, but yeah. So yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
One of the things about Ricky Pooj that I just admire is his ability to create flow for that team, right? Best player or not, he's absolutely the most influential player. I don't think he's the best player, but he's the most influential player. And I remember when they played in this run, when they played the Colorado Rapids and they played them off the park.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And I just remember thinking I'd play two up front. It's easy to say this in hindsight, right? But as I watched the playoffs go, I'd play two up front, I'd sacrifice one of my strikers, and it would essentially shadow him, not man-mark him like the old days where the coach would say, grab a fistful of his shirt, and if he goes to the bathroom, you go with him. That's how we used to man-mark.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Yeah. Not backyard. I went to a turf field and we played football. I tried to stop on a dime, which didn't work. Popped the old hamstring and I was out of commission. It doesn't work. Things don't work like they used to, bro.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
But it's so obvious to the trained or untrained eye When Ricky Pooj gets into flow, he's going. And you can see something's going to happen. You don't know if the goal is going to get scored or whatever, but you can see it happening because LA, his team does the same thing. They go from first gear to fourth. They skip two gears. Like they're walking forward. Pooj puts his foot on the ball.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
He looks up, he rolls it. He passed it to a center back, runs and gets it from the center back. Everyone's standing. And then when they go, they just fly. And so I would, you know, and it's sad to say because he's out and he's towards ACL.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I would have just spent so much time dumping him, constantly getting niggles at his ankles and making sure he was on the turf because I think that's important to break up the flow because LA is all about flow and they're brilliant. How does he do it? That's been the question for me as I look, And I wonder what's Greg Vanney going to do? You and I would agree.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
You can essentially go like for like and say, okay, we're not going to change formations. We're not going to tilt the formation. We're going to put a player in place of him. Well, same thing happened at Man City. Rodri's out. We're going to play the same way. We'll just plug somebody in. for Rodri. It doesn't work. They're not the same player.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I mean, to watch Pooj dip his shoulder and dive and duck and make people miss, like, that's what he wants. He actually wants you to come on to him so that he can spin you and create that momentum. So, The other part is, as you know, it's like, okay, well then tilt the formation and change things. It's like, this is how you've won all season long, playing this way. So it's a big question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Obviously, Greg Manny knows that. He's qualified. He's a brilliant manager. I just wonder from the psyche of the players, because I've been in these dressing rooms, and it's like, when you don't have your ace there, when you don't have your main guy there, you're like, okay. Like we can say all the right things in the press, next man up, dah, dah, dah, dah. It ain't the same.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And so from a, from a mentality standpoint with the galaxy, they're really going to have to figure out how they get over this hump.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I have to be in straight lines. I can't cut. It's a disaster.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I was just designated QB. I was just hobbling.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Hobbling. It's fine. It's for the cause.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Yeah. And I think the, I think the preparation for Red Bull specifically, obviously LA will have its own challenges. And I think about, you know, I certainly don't question the galaxy tactics and, you know, when you were playing, cause you guys won so much. I remember playing, you know, playing primarily games on the weekend and then playing in Europe and
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
whether it be Europa League or Champions League midweek. And I remember managers would bring us in to train at the time we were going to play, like you said. So that was like, we always play, you know, in England, you play in the afternoon or in the morning and then European games are at night. So then under the lights, there's a different feel to it. So we would train in the evenings.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
And I remember hating that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
as a player because I was like just let me train at the normal time and then on match day I can figure out my routine you know we're old enough and responsible enough to do that Red Bull as you mentioned do they travel on the Wednesday or the Thursday you know I was always a proponent of managers who would keep us in our own bed and in our own homes and our routine the same and even if you can buy one more day of that it kind of takes the pressure off but
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
you know, from the standpoint of being an older senior player, managers used to tell me like, Hey, enjoy, you know, enjoy the week leading up to a cup final or whatever, but not too much. Or, and I would, and I remember thinking like, I can't enjoy them too tense. But then the older I got, um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
I would help try and keep the vibe of the team light and enjoy the press conferences and enjoy the open trainings because it was like, look at us. We deserve this. We deserve to have all the eyes on us. We've earned this. We'll still be focused on match day. But, you know, enjoying the buildup in those in those, as you know, in the in the big games, because they're so different.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Everything about that week is about the final. And so it's hard. And I think about the game itself. Any big game, you know, they often say, like, finals are more disappointing than semifinals because semifinals have everything. It's chaos. You know, and finals are cagey because both teams are like, oh, I'm scared to death to lose this. But I think early on, it's going to be interesting because...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
Big games, and you know this, the first 15, 20 minutes are all about establishing battle lines. And Red Bull do that really well in terms of the Red Bull way, right? They pass forward, run forward, run through tackles, play on the knock, play balls in the channel. It's a bit chaotic. And they found a way to be comfortable in that chaos, and they've thrived on that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Galaxy Final-Bound Sans Puig, Pep's 6 Losses in 7 Games, and the Truth About Klinsmann
So do I think that Galaxy will get the ball down and play and create tempo? Of course they will. That's what they've done. That's what they've been successful with under Greg Benny. It's just about... how long that takes them, do they concede chances early on. It's going to be a fascinating final.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I'm just wondering if they bring in a big hitter in the summer. You know what I mean? That's a good question.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I know. I know.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Yeah.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
You don't even know what half that stuff is.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Good for you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
But pretty cool. Good for one of those teams, for sure.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I think you understand why. I would also say I love Club America. I mean, it's such a massive club. It's so crazy, you know, the support they have. Brilliant stadium. But anyway, yeah, we know why. All right, we'll see.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Yeah, I mean, what's your big gripe? You said you were naive to it a little bit. So what's your... What's the big gripe? All right.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Not a big deal. It's also Juergen Klinsmann we're dealing with. Yeah, no, I get it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Yeah. I mean, I think, I think what you're, what, what you're speaking to is kind of what, what I see as well. I mean, You know, he put on Instagram that nobody hates missing matches more than me. It was a very difficult decision. That I don't doubt. And I certainly don't doubt him. He's a player that I respect and I like as a person. I think the world of him.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Look, if he had to, whatever issue, it was a tendonitis or it was something like that, that he was dealing with. It needed rest. It needed a 10-day rest or something. And he's managing that. I think when... From a U.S. soccer standpoint, he could have rested... He could have rested the Premier League weekend before, which would have given him a week. He could have... played in the U.S.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
games and then rested it for the FA Cup, right? He chose to take the rest during the Nations League. But again, and I think that is... What we're seeing, that's his choice. But I think on a level of priorities, it was Premier League, FA Cup, men's national team. And I think it probably speaks to a bigger problem at the national team level. And it's what I said was my biggest concern.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I actually said this going into the last World Cup in 2022. This group of players, I think I mentioned on the last pod as well, There aren't any more competitive games after the Gold Cup, right? And I just, I wonder how many games between now and the World Cup, the best group of players that we have will play together.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
It'll likely be zero. Really? Really? So that is a problem. And I think this speaks to the bigger issue.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Funny part of that. So my first year at Manchester United, I won the FA Cup. Played most of the games and played in the final. My second year...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
i lost my spot and i didn't i played a couple of games but i didn't play in the final and uh funny enough we i i had saved a couple penalties and i won the community shield in a shootout so sir alex ferguson at like i don't even know like right after regular time going into the going into extra time he was like tim go warm up i'm putting you on for penalties Sure as heck. I went and warmed up.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Speaking of comments and questions and concerns, you got some soccer swag and you want me to rock it and shout your team out, send it to me. We're all soccer all the time.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
He forgot to put me on. He told me after the game. We went to penalties. He said he forgot. Roy Carroll was in goal. We lost. He literally said, he said, I forgot. Which is crazy. But anyway, that's not the point. So the following year, my third season and final season at United were playing in the League Cup. And... And I played... Yeah, I played most of the games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I mean, I played three or four games. And we get to the semifinal. This is when they brought Edwin Van Nessar in. So, like, as a second goalkeeper, the only games you're really getting are, like, cup games, you know? So, I'm having a good run. So, I'm like, all right, like, I'm no slouch. Like, I'm, you know, I've done good things at Man United. So, I'm getting the cup games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
And this is League Cup, by the way. And... We get to the semifinal, I think it was against Blackburn, at their place. And Sir Alex Ferguson pulled me and he said, look, I'm starting Edwin tonight. And I was irate. I was furious, man. I was furious. But it didn't matter. He didn't care that I was furious. He wanted to win the game and he went with the best goalkeeper.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
And we got to the final and then we won the final. And so you just got to deal with it. It sucks. It sucks. But their manager is going to play... the best goalkeeper and he thinks that that he needed to play the number one. It's tough luck, man. It's tough luck. And it's just the way it goes and it sucks.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
And I wish I could tell you that there's some formula, but there's not, you know, you, you be better. And that's what I had to do. I'd be better. You know, that's what I was. And I, and I wasn't Edwin Van Nessar was clearly better than me.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I mean, that's the crazy thing. They've had... I mean, their downfall has been so... widely publicized. And yet if they wouldn't, there's a part of me that could kind of want to win the FA cup just because like, we love seeing greatness and you're like, that would be amazing. It would be amazing. I mean, they've got every chance, right? I mean, it sent me final round. Uh, when is it?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
It's this one, April 26th forest versus city and palace versus bill. I mean, all, all primarily heavyweights. Right. So like, yeah, It'll be good. Right. So US LNT, that's us, on US WNT. Talk to me about this US Brazil preview. How are you feeling about it?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Yeah, it's tough. I mean, backs are really, really difficult for a lot of reasons, but it is. It's the one injury that you just like it. it's your mobility and that's what she's built on. She's got brilliant pace, really strong, obviously great tidy feet in and around the penalty area, but like ultimately it's her explosiveness that, that kind of gets her off the mark.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
So hopefully that she can manage that. And, you know, we don't, we don't see any sort of demise cause she's absolutely sensational to watch.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
No, no, no, no, no, no. She's tough. She's tough as nails as well. Listen, the one thing about this, and I oftentimes think, well, I think back to my own career all the time because there's so many parallels, but it never, you know when like, and we played together so many times, you know when you didn't play well or you're coming off a loss? Like, this is amazing from Emma. I love this.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
But it never meant anything to me if a coach said that to me. I'm thinking, good. Training should be hard, man. That's right. We stunk it up last time. We lost. We were saying it to each other. Or whatever. Yeah, that's right. I'm thinking, I'm getting on the plane coming into camp thinking- Like, you better be working hard. Like, this is... You better be leading and driving this team forward.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
So, like, it's so interesting. But I love the quote. I also, you know, as we referenced, you have Sophia Wilson's out, Mallory's out. Like, it's...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
you know some players need to step up and i think she's probably she's probably seeing that like you all of a sudden we don't have our like our star necessarily so everyone else is going to drop drop the ball it's not that's not how it's going to work work on my watch so i really i really like how direct she was and and and look it's great i mean she said it which means she definitely is going to back it up which means it's going to be a hard camp so we'll see the reaction that's going to be fun to watch i'm actually not excited to watch these two games
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Right, LD, something that came across our desk that is of relevance because it's a big matter, but also because it deals with CONCACAF and Canada. And that's the injury to Alphonso Davies. He suffered a torn ACL in the third place game against the U.S. And there's some people not happy about that. particularly his agent and Bayern Munich.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
And I think to give context, I'll read these quotes because they're really interesting. Davey's agent, Nadal Hussein, said to One Soccer, I'm very disappointed. Alphonso was not 100% after the Mexico game. It was planned that he was not going to start against the US on Saturday night. The expectation is that he wouldn't be in the starting 11 as captain.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I feel he was pressured to start the game by the coach. Alphonso was not the kind of guy to say no to those moments. He ended up playing and look what happened. Canada soccer needs to do a better job managing these players, in my opinion. Alphonso was down and obviously disappointed, so on.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Bayern Munich's chief executive, Jan-Christian Driesen, said, we are demanding a full investigation into the events from Canada soccer and expressly reserve the right to take legal action. Sending a clearly injured player... with a damaged knee on a 12 hour flight without thorough medical assessment. And our view is grossly negligent and clear and a clear breach of medical duty of care.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Um, the participation of Davies who already had muscular problems in the game, um, And he says, this is the interesting part, in a match of no sporting significance is incomprehensible from our viewpoint. Canada Soccer then released a statement, said that they followed all protocols. They were in constant communication with Bayern Munich, so on and so forth.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
So a lot to unpack there, a lot of opinions. Where do you stand on this?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Thank you.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
LD, what up? I am repping St. Joe's Soccer. My dear friend, Tim Mulqueen, has been hired as the head men's soccer coach there. Is that a college? Yeah, I was up on Hawk Hill. Chatting to the boys. They just started their spring season, so they're super stoked and excited. So the hawk will never die, they tell me. So go St. Joe's.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Yeah. Very well said. Listen, I go back further with Peter Vermees than almost anybody because when he played at Rutgers University back in the early 90s, I was a ball boy at Rutgers on the sideline. I was a little tot, ran my jersey, and they were going to Final Four. So kind of watched his rise through the men's national team. Again, like you, played against him, played against him as a coach.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
He's tough as nails. He's a gentleman. But hats off to Kansas City and hats off to Peter Vermees. In 15 years, by the way, I know they've had success. But also there's been some tough times in there too.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
And for both of those parties to be able to navigate that and spend a decade and a half at a club and really cement them as part of that brilliant Kansas City sporting community and league-wide, nothing but good things to say about Peter Burmese.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Yeah, I mean, I think it's fixable. And Pochettino said there's time, and I've referenced. I think there's a short amount of time, but yeah, there's still some time to... have success with this group. There's no doubt about that. I mean, but there are significant things that we as fans probably need and want to see, right? And that is... That is that fight and that spirit.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
And I would never say that players don't care. It's a hard thing to levy against a player. That's like rock bottom. You only say that when you're certain. You can't say, I don't think this guy cares or I think he's down tools. You have to have solid inside information and confidence.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
and no so i i don't say that about these players that they don't care they do care um but again what what to what extent right because they didn't care they wouldn't play for their national team right because i know a lot of guys in england particularly which is a whole nother kettle of fish like they just they've declined going into their national team right ben white uh at arsenal he's the best right back that england has and he declines the invite because he
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
He's had a falling out. So they care, but it's to what level, right? We talked about priorities and running through a wall for your country and the togetherness. And by the way, I know, look... Players on this current team have issues with me and things that I say. That's fine. They're not beholden to me, and I'm not beholden to them. But the fact of the matter is, this is what you sign up for.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
When Landon had a bad game, and he had a couple of bad games, people started to question whether he cared. Is it fair? No. But results and performances shape people's opinions.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Coming right back at you with more of your questions, comments, and concerns from the mailbag. Jordan, as always, so lovely to have you. Hit us with it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I did think about it.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
That's cool. Are they playing in Queens at Columbia still?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Yeah, Coney Island's in Brooklyn.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
He has no idea. He would never step foot in Coney Island. Ever. He's in Manhattan Beach. I mean, that says it all.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I'm a man of the people. No, you are not.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
No, I'm stumped. Keep going. I'm going to wait this one out until you finish.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
99, 99.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Right. So that's, you know, 25 years ago. So we've had really good youth success to, you know, the point that you make about like, whether it's great, it's probably not great for them to, it's probably better for them to lose a really hard game three nil or two one than to win 22, nothing. Because I think the development, as you mentioned in this country is just so incredibly poor.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
You know, I think about, I think about small things, even my, my daughter's team this year. So there's a, Her high school team, she goes to a really good private school, and then the public school in the town is also... They're awesome. They're two of the best two teams. And they went toe-to-toe, and the public high school, who's probably better, didn't play us this year.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
And we're like, how are they not on the schedule? And the coach... They said, oh, because all the girls played club soccer together. The game got too emotional over the last couple of years, so we didn't schedule the game. And I was like, I want my daughter to play in that game because it's tough. It's physical. It's nasty. They don't always win in my daughter's team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
So I'm like, those are the best games. And this Joker is like, no, we're not going to schedule this year. So it's broken and crazy. But listen, hats off. As you said, at the World Cup, if they perform well, that's a really good thing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Money is everything. So let's start there. You've got one career. You've got to make the best of it. And these players are doing fabulous in terms of carving out a good career for themselves at clubs and getting paid well. So they should be doing that. When we talk about teams over the last two generations...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
There have been players on those teams who have earned really, really wonderful livings with their club team. There was still a fight and a desire and a nastiness. I think money is never the reason why someone doesn't care. In fact... I cared more because I wanted to make more money. And when I performed well, and I was kicking butt at the top, I got paid more money.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
So yeah, it's not a direct correlation.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
He just doesn't stop. Philly were good. I'm on this Philly bandwagon. I think they play really good football. They create a lot of good chances. And in the game, They create a ton of chances that, like you said, probably could have drawn level or even won. The Messi thing is funny because, look, I think what we're seeing this season is 37. I mean...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
And by the way, by the way, the funny balance of this all is like you and I, you know, at international team camp, oftentimes you have, you have team meals like freaking every day. And if you're good, a good behavior, the manager will let you go out for dinner or something on your own. But like we sit around, you sit around the lunch table or the, or the dinner table. If you're a good team, you,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
long after dinner's over and you're sitting there chatting with your boys, you don't want to go back to your room by yourself. So like you're hanging out and the amount of times, you know, Landon, you and I've been in the same room.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
We're like, we're like, yo, if we win tomorrow, we, you know, if we're in a tournament and then we advance, we're like, yo, we, you, you, the pot of money that we get goes, goes up significantly. And like, we're all chuckling. Like, yo, we, this isn't, we got to win tomorrow. And then, you know, there's other guys in camp.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
By the way, certainly towards the end of our national team careers, we're like, there's some MLS guys in camp who if we win tomorrow, their bonus will pay their rent for three months straight. It's crazy. But now to quantify that, it's not as if we went on the field and we're like, we got to win for the money. There's a balance there. You wanted to win anyway.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
That was just a fun, like Landon said, cheer in the locker room afterwards because you're getting paid, but you're also feeling really great that you won. So there's a balance. And I think sometimes... people on the outside look at it and it's like, Oh, these overpaid guys, that's not it. They care. They need to care.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Not New Zealand.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
You correct me, I correct you. It's fine. All right, fine.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
what we're seeing early on is I think what's going to continue. He's going to rest. They're going to manage, manage his minutes to get him through to the end of the season. You know, when, when the big important games are, and it's just how it is. It's, it's what we, he's 37 can't roll back time. So this is kind of what we're seeing.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I like Patrick Edgman. I think he, I think he, he provides this like vertical threat, you know, and sometimes that doesn't, sometimes it doesn't always mean like when people talk about like verticality, like straight line runner ball over the top scores a goal.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
It doesn't always mean that sometimes it means getting side on running into the channel, chasing a ball down where you can hold the ball and get your team up to pitch. Like it's really important for, for strikers to be able to do that. And I, and I think he's, He's off to a good start in his national team career. He needs to keep adding to that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Certainly banging goals in for Charlotte will help, but he's in the shop window. I mean, what happened? Look, it's going to be a battle between Ricardo Pepe and Flo Balligan. We know that. Absolutely. But to be able to have a striker... like Ajumang, to be able to, as Landon said, go to him in a pinch, in a substitute role. Can he start? Does he earn enough of that to start?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Like I said, I like him because I also like the players underneath him. I think there's a lot of talent with the players who play underneath him, whether that be Weah or Pulisic or Gio Reyna. If he ever gets selected to start, there's... There's enough ball possession and ball dominance in that midfield that you actually want your striker to go away, be a nuisance, get in the box, and he has that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
So, yeah, I think he's off to a good start.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Yeah, that's a fair comment, Doug. It's fair. I mean, I do agree that generational talent has a shelf life. I mean, he is, you know, I think about, I watched batting practice at Colorado Rockies when I was there and the manager came up to me and we were just chatting and I forget the guy's name. He got traded to Chicago Cubs. Anyway, I'll remember. It might've been Gonzalez.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
And he was just, he's left-handed, smacking balls, landing into the upper deck. Easy, easy. It's just like you chipping a ball into the goal. It was like nothing. And he looked at me and he's like, that's a generational swing. He said, you don't see that. Now, Cargo, Carlos Gonzalez, yeah. And so I don't know, and without disrespect to Carlos Gonzalez, I don't know if he's ever like gone on to –
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I think the funny part for me is when I watched the ball, it got shifted across and then it got, it goes to messy on the, on the right hand side. And I, did you play in the Argentina game at, um,
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
do what he was supposed to do in the game, but the swing was generational. And so I think sometimes that needs to, that gets lost. Like Gio is, we don't produce these players. Like you're, you're Claudio Reina and Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and John O'Brien, who everyone forgets about. And, and, and Gio Reina and Christian Pulisic, these players don't pop up all the time. They're special.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
And so, and so it's easy to talk about them, but the, the point's well taken at a certain point. It's absolutely on him to find that magic, find the right groove and rhythm, play week in and week out. You're a 90-minute player all season, ever-present for a couple of years in a row. That's a fair comment. And so hopefully this summer we'll begin to see the start of that.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
at giant stadium yeah it's my 100th cap oh no kidding okay so yeah i remember i tell the story because you'll remember this but you weren't in an area where you needed to defend messy you were high and you were wide but we worked we yeah we worked all week i remember bob bradley it was he was he was relentless he was honest saying like one get to the ball get chest to chest with messy armed against him one covers it was awesome training was great we're like we're gonna lock this kid up
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Yeah, I just... Look, I think to carry on from that, because it sparked a thought that I... One thing that I hate, I hate, that I wish managers would do more. And I'm thinking Marcus Rashford and Amorim, and before that, Ten Hag. I'm thinking Pochettino and Giorena. I just wish, like, when you... Like, if you and I got hired as the U.S. National Team managers tomorrow, right? We could identify...
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
five players that were like, we, we gotta, we have to have these guys on side. We're not going to count out, bow down to them, but like, we have to have these guys on side. Like for me, and I don't know if this did or didn't happen, but like for me, I'm looking at that and I'm going, surely one of the flights that I'm taking is going into Germany and
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
And sitting down at a coffee shop with Gio and being like... One of the first ones, Tim. One of the first ones. One of the first ones. And I'm saying, as the coach, Gio, what do you need? Forget all the other bullshit that happened. What do you need from me? Because I need you on the pitch being your amazing self. So what do you need from me? Right? That's what I would have done.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
That's what I would have done with Marcus Rashford. And I just don't know if that always happens. I don't know if it's an ego thing, but... Yeah. I don't know. You're right. Anyway. There.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
The question everyone's asking.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
It's great. I'm excited. I'm excited for the Gold Cup. I really am. I'm excited for what's the response. Emma Hayes talked about it with the women's national team. I'm getting a response. One way or the other, I'm getting a response. And that's what she's saying. That's what I'm looking forward to with the men this summer. They need a response. Everybody knows it. There's literally no secret now.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Let's go.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Yeah, just to echo that, Landon, I mean, we thank you guys. We thank everybody every week, and it's weeks like this where we see this
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
podcast soaring and it's because of you you know we're nothing without you all the listeners again i say it every week we love your comments the good the bad the ugly it doesn't matter keep on bringing it passion we love the passion and we love the passion from our presenting sponsor vw and our fan connection sponsor at&t have an amazing week look forward to seeing you all back here next tuesday uh with another edition of unfiltered soccer
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
right the second the second the game the the whistle blew and the ball went to him it was like you know you'll play super mario brothers and you get the star and then no one can touch you no no one got around it and i'm thinking we trained all week to get around them and i say that because Totally. He's so special.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
When the ball got shifted, the center back saw his, I guess it was the left center back, go tight to Messi. And I'm thinking, you got to sprint over there. Like, you have to sprint over there and give cover. You can't leave my guy on an island. He shifts it and scores. It was incredible. He is something special.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
It's fine. But I love Mulchie. You're not a man of the people.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
But that's the special thing about him, right? LD, if you think you've tried that, I mean, every player in every game has tried that. And by the way, he can eye-tackle. All I remember about Messi is playing against him twice, and then one time I was in drug testing with him after the game, so we both got called back into doping.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
So I'm just sitting there, desperately wanting to talk to him, but scared to death. I don't think I said boo to him. I looked the other way.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Well, he didn't score either. Spanish, dude.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I just wanted to say what up. Wave.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Here's what I think. And nobody's going to want to hear this, but I think this is the facts. The greatest thing for this current Miami team is that they won a supporter shield last year, right? So they don't have to chase that. That's off the table. I don't think Miami gives a good god darn whether they win a supporter shield, right? Which means this team is built for big games, okay?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
This team is built for big games.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
So I think it's not even going to be Messi getting his minutes managed by Mascherano. I think you're going to – I don't think they care if they finish fourth or first. I don't. I think they care – if they finish fourth – and they go into the playoffs healthy, I think they're like, sweet, good, this is great. I don't think they're concerned with winning any prizes in the regular season.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I just don't. And so I think to answer your question, they can obviously pick up knocks throughout the year, but I do think a lot of these older players are going to have their minutes managed with an eye just for the playoffs.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Which is great.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Yeah, I mean, the point you make is well taken. Defending in the MLS is woeful. Like, it's woeful. When I remember, and it wasn't that long ago that I was playing in the MLS, and it... The ideas aren't there. The tactical spatial awareness isn't there. When you see really good defenders, the alarm bells are going off constantly. And you can see by their body language and their motion.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
I know that pass was on, but I'm launching this into row Z because guess what? That's what my instinct was telling me. The amount of poor judgment and decisions by defenders. by defenders. The lack of, I mean, it's like a jagged edge. You know, when you're talking about a back line being rigid, I mean, there's players all over the place stepping in places they shouldn't.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Not running into channels, no cover. It's, Defending is woeful, to your point. I think it's league-wide, but to your point, people don't spend money in those areas, and it's a shame.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Well, to add clarity to what you're saying, because I talk about the Pep Guardiola effect all the time and I say it in a cheeky way that he's ruined so many of the coaches because everyone thinks they can play like his teams play. And the thing that incenses me in football when people say like, we're a pressing team. Shut up. You're not a pressing team.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
It's impossible to press for 45 minutes or 90 minutes. What City have done and they've cracked the code is like you said. So, and he did this at Barcelona. He started it. He's got the best players in the world who can keep the ball for as long as they want, right? When it turns over.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Also, you're not a man of the people because what are you drinking? You're so LA. Show everybody what you're drinking.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Forever. So when the ball turns over, They attack like dogs, right? They put you under so much pressure and they win it back. Or, and I've played against some of these teams that do this really well, you end up launching the ball, right? Because he can buy the best defenders in the world, he had at a time Kyle Walker and Diaz and Stones, right?
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
So they can win a track meet, they get it, recycle it, and they're back on top of you. But teams think they can press all the time, and they can't. Man City presses because they can possess the ball better than anybody else. So, yeah, it's it's an interesting concept. And I think but circling back, you can't play like you can't play like that if you don't spend the money on defenders.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Vermes Out at KC, FA Cup Quarterfinals, Bayern Munich vs Canada, & Your USMNT Comments
Question, do they still have a DP spot open? I can't remember. Or did they fill it?